Introduce the concept of seasonal clothing by examining the differences between the four seasons. Have students create a chart with a column for each season. Students describe things like temperature, moisture, sky and ground color and other defining factors like spring flowers, autumn leaves or winter snow. Look at pictures of each season as a class and prompt a discussion about what things the students would like to be wearing in that weather to feel most comfortable. Students can write a story about their favorite season and what outfit they would like to wear. Or have children draw pictures of themselves in seasonal clothing and allow the class to guess which season the outfit belongs to.
Teach your students about seasonal clothing and a bit of geography at the same time. Allow students to choose a specific destination or a random place by spinning the globe and stopping it with a finger. Each student does some homework to learn a bit about that destination, particularly climate and geographic details. Have students discuss or write about packing a suitcase for travel to that destination for a specific time of the year. A place may have warm days and cold nights, or the temperatures may vary, for instance, so students must take into consideration clothing layers. Requiring students to include things like toothbrushes, socks and emergency items adds another life skill to the activity.
Instead of focusing solely on clothing, emphasize the importance of appropriate accessories as well. Give students a very basic fashion lesson going over different types of hats, gloves, scarves, socks, shoes and jackets. Use matching worksheets, photos of items and people or accessory descriptions to categorize accessories into their respective seasons. For instance, show a picture of a a broad sun hat next to a fuzzy wool cap and ask which one students would wear to the beach and why. Incorporate the concept into the class show-and-tell, having each student bring a favorite accessory.
Very young students just learning to read can benefit from clothing-related activities. Have students match a group of clothing pictures to the appropriate word, or have them come up with a list of clothing items that begin with the same letter. The activity format depends on how your class learns best and how you would like to incorporate it into your curriculum. For younger or special-needs students not yet reading or just learning, have them create picture books of clothing, then identify them out loud as a class.