Free Printable Water Cycle Worksheets for Kids
Water cycle worksheets have always been one of my favorite ways to bring science to life at home.
When my son was younger, we used these simple activities—coloring the stages, labeling diagrams, even playing a matching game—to make sense of big ideas like evaporation and runoff.
These life cycle printables aren’t just educational—they’re part of how we made learning feel hands-on and memorable.
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Hands-On Water Cycle Activities for Kids
I put together this 7-page water cycle set after realizing how much my son enjoyed learning science through visuals and hands-on activities.
All the pages print in landscape, so just double-check your settings before hitting print.
The first set includes a colorful, three-page water cycle diagram that we’ve used as a mini poster. It stayed up on our wall for weeks while we worked through the unit.
There’s also a water cycle coloring page, which is a great way for younger kids to visualize the process while they color.
If your child is ready for more independence, the next two pages show the same diagram without any labels. One in color, one for coloring. It’s a good little challenge to test what they’ve remembered.
We also used a fill-in-the-blank worksheet that introduces key terms like precipitation, runoff, and infiltration. That one sparked a lot of questions, which I loved.
For a real test of understanding, there’s a cut-and-paste version with no prompts at all. It’s definitely trickier but makes a great wrap-up activity.
And if your kids are anything like mine, adding a simple science experiment (we made our own “rain cloud” in a jar) brings it all together in the best way.
Younger kids will enjoy our weather worksheets for kindergarten to use with this unit study too.
Key Terms in the Water Cycle
Understanding the vocabulary behind each stage of the water cycle helps kids connect the science to real-world examples. Here are some of the key terms we explored while working through the worksheets.
What is accumulation?
Accumulation happens when water collects in large bodies like oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, or underground aquifers after falling as precipitation. It’s one of the final steps in the cycle before the whole process starts over again with evaporation and transpiration.
What is infiltration?
Infiltration is when water soaks into the ground instead of running off. It’s an important part of how underground water sources (like aquifers) get replenished. My son was fascinated to learn that not all rain ends up in rivers—some of it disappears into the soil!
What is transpiration?
Transpiration is a cool process where plants release water vapor from their leaves. It’s like plants are “breathing out” water into the air. This step connects plant life directly to the atmosphere and keeps the water cycle moving.
What is runoff?
Runoff happens when water flows over the ground instead of soaking in—often because the soil is full or frozen. It eventually ends up in larger water bodies like lakes or oceans. Runoff also plays a big role in shaping the land and carrying things like nutrients or dirt along the way.
Check out even more water cycle activities for kids!
Water Cycle Vocabulary & Labeling Guide
Use this reference guide to help kids label the water cycle stages correctly or to review their answers after completing the worksheet.
- Infiltration: The process of water entry into the soil.
- Precipitation: Water that falls from the earth’s atmosphere to the earth’s surface.
- Evaporation: The process that changes liquid water to water vapor.
- Condensation: The process where water vapor in the air is changed to liquid.
- Accumulation: The collection of water into lakes, rivers, and oceans.
- Runoff: Water flows over the earth as surface water rather than absorbed into the earth or vapor.
- Transpiration: When plants take up water from the soil and release water vapor into the air from their leaves.
Water Cycle Matching Game
After finishing the worksheets, let kids reinforce what they’ve learned with a simple matching game. It’s great for all ages and works with one player or more.
To play:
- Print the matching page twice.
- Cut out all 12 images from both pages.
- (Optional) Decorate the backs for a personalized touch.
- Shuffle the cards and lay them face-down in a grid—4 rows of 6 usually works well.
Each player takes turns flipping two cards. If they match, the player keeps them. The person with the most pairs at the end wins. If playing solo, just try to match all the pairs with the fewest turns.
Tip: We like using a paper cutter for clean edges, but scissors work fine too.
Best Water Cycle Books for Kids
We love pairing science printables with great books, and these water cycle books for children make a perfect addition to any unit.
- Water Cycles. – A nonfiction book that explains the full cycle with clear visuals and fun facts about animals that depend on water.
- The Great Big Water Cycle Adventure. A colorful picture book that follows a single drop of water through its entire journey. Perfect for visual learners.
- National Geographic book on Water. Easy to read with real photos, this book introduces kids to the water cycle along with key vocabulary.
Weather science labs is another great addition to these free worksheets with 20 experiments and projects to do all relating to the weather.
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Want even more science printables? Explore our full collection of life cycle worksheets—with 247 pages covering 23 different cycles, including plants, animals, and more.
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Last Updated on 12 April 2025 by Clare Brown