Just open your local newspaper and turn to the weather page. Then try these ideas:

Name that state. Give your child clues about a city or state on the weather map. For example, “I’m thinking of a city that starts with an M. It’s near the Atlantic Ocean and has five letters.” Keep giving clues, even if you give all letters. Let your child find the city with those letters.

Personalize the map. Help your child find states where relatives live. Ask your child what clothes grandma might be wearing today.

Find the state. Read an article in the paper with your child. Then locate the state mentioned using the weather map.

Add it up. Ask your child to locate the temperature for a city. Then do a simple operation. For example, add that temperature to the temperature in another city, or divide it by the syllables in “Texas.”

Check it out. Together, read the weather forecast for the day. Discuss weather terms like “temperature,” “winds,” “humidity,” and “precipitation.” Later, go outside. Ask your child which predictions about the elements came true.

Mix up places. Take turns seeing if you can trick each other. Say something like “Phoenix is in Texas.” Let your child correct you, then offer you a challenge. “No, Phoenix is in Arizona. Atlanta is in Arkansas.” Sometimes try to trip each other up with a correct statement.

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