Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Day Length Through the Year: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 1
- ForYear 1
- StageKey Stage 1
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Day Length Through the Year is a free printable science worksheet for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6). Children compare summer and winter days and think about when it is light and when we put the lights on. It takes about 10 minutes and needs only a pencil. Page 2 gives the grown up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children answer numbered questions about the length of days in summer and winter. They say whether days are long or short in each season, compare which season has light for longer, and think about when we turn the lights on earlier. There is space to write each answer. A final question asks for a favourite season and why, so children can share their own ideas. Grown ups can read the questions aloud and let children answer by speaking.
- In summer, are the days long or short?
- In winter, are the days long or short?
- When is it light for longer: summer or winter?
- When do we put the lights on earlier?
- Which season is your favourite and why?
Why day length matters in Year 1
In England, the amount of daylight changes through the year. The Sun rises and sets at different times as the months pass. Children notice this without being told. They see a dark sky at tea time on some evenings and a bright sky at bedtime on others. This sheet turns those everyday moments into a simple science conversation about change.
The National Curriculum for England includes seasonal changes in Year 1 science. Children observe the four seasons and talk about how day length varies. At this age the aim is to notice, compare and describe. Children do not need to explain why the seasons happen yet. Using words like longer, shorter, light and dark in real sentences is the right level.
Never look straight at the Sun, even on a hazy day. It can damage eyes. When you watch the sky together, look at the sky around the Sun, not at the Sun itself.
Fun facts about day and night
- The Earth spins around once about every 24 hours. That gives us day and night.
- The Sun looks as if it moves across the sky, but it is the spinning Earth that makes it seem that way.
- The Earth takes about a year to travel all the way around the Sun.
- In England there are four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter.
- The times of sunrise and sunset change a little from one day to the next.
Skills and curriculum link
- Comparing
- Seasons
- Talking about science
- Noticing change over time
- Using science words
This sheet supports the area below. It is matched to the published England framework. Please check it against your own school plan.
| Framework | Subject or area | Strand | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Curriculum (England) | Science | Seasonal changes | Year 1 |
What children will be able to do
- I can say that days are longer in summer.
- I can say that days are shorter in winter.
- I can compare the length of days in different months.
Ideas to talk about with your child
- Sunrise and sunsetEach day the Sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. The times when this happens change slowly through the year.
- DaylightDaylight is the time when it is light outside. It lasts from sunrise until sunset.
- Seasons in orderThe seasons come round in the same order every year: spring, summer, autumn, winter, then spring again.
- Slow changeDay length changes only a little each day, so it is hard to spot from one day to the next. Comparing different months makes it easier to see.
Key words
- SeasonOne of the four parts of the year: spring, summer, autumn and winter.
- DaylightThe time when it is light outside.
- SunriseThe time in the morning when the Sun first appears.
- SunsetThe time in the evening when the Sun goes out of sight.
- CompareLook at two things and say how they are the same or different.
- LongerLasting more time than something else.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Talk first about what time it gets dark at different times of year. Ask what your child sees out of the window at tea time.
- Work through the sheet together the first time. Read each question aloud and talk about each choice.
- Check against the notes and answers on page 2. Ask, "How do you know?" The reasoning matters as much as the answer.
- Keep it to about 10 minutes. Come back another day, because repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Read each question aloud and let your child answer by speaking. Ask them to think of a favourite activity in each season, such as splashing in puddles or playing outside after tea. Then ask whether it was light or dark at that time.
To stretch confident children
Draw the sky at tea time in two different seasons on the back of the sheet. Add what you can see outside and what you are doing. Then tell a grown up two ways the pictures are different.
Make it a game
Make a bedtime sky check. Each evening, look out of the window at bedtime and say if it is light or dark. Draw a sun or a moon on a strip of paper. After a few weeks, look back and see what has changed.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child answers from one memory, such as a single dark evening, instead of thinking about the whole season.
Try thisAsk them to think about lots of days in that season, not just one. Talk about what usually happens at tea time and bedtime.
Watch forA child says it is dark because the Sun has gone away or switched off.
Try thisExplain that the Sun is still there. Our side of the Earth has turned away from it. Shine a torch on a ball and turn the ball slowly to show this.
Watch forA child mixes up light with warm and answers about the weather instead of how long it is light.
Try thisAsk, "Is that about being warm or about being light?" Draw a sun for light and a thermometer for warm so the two ideas stay separate.
Talk about it
- What time do you go to bed, and is it light or dark outside?
- What do you like to do outside when it is light?
- Why do we put the lights on in the house?
- Which season do you think is the most fun, and why?
- What do you wear in different seasons?
- How could we find out what time it gets dark next month?
Take it off the page
Light and dark diary
Each evening at tea time, colour a box yellow if it is still light outside and grey if it is dark. Keep going for a few weeks and talk about what you notice.
Torch and ball
In a dim room, shine a torch on a ball and turn the ball slowly. Talk about which side is lit and which side is in the dark. This shows day and night.
Season sort
Cut out or draw pictures of clothes, weather and activities. Sort them into four piles for spring, summer, autumn and winter. Talk about why each one fits.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go and let them lead. Keep it relaxed and short. If they are stuck, look out of the window together and talk about what you can see now.
Teachers
Use it as a starter or plenary in a seasonal changes unit, or as a table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Pair it with a walk, a window watch or a bedtime sky check. The sheet works well alongside everyday talk about the weather. Print it again for brothers and sisters, or come back to it a few weeks later.
Where this fits in learning
Before this, children in the early years notice the weather and talk about the changes they see through the year. They learn that the seasons have names and that each one feels different. This sheet builds on that talk with a first focus on how long it is light.
Later, children keep observing the seasons and the weather as part of their science. Much later in primary school they learn about the movement of the Earth and why we have day and night. Noticing the pattern now gives them something real to explain when they get there.
Check it worked
Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.
- Is it light for longer in summer or winter?
- How can you tell on the chart?
- What do you do in the long light evenings?
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Day Length Through the Year for?
It is written for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6), in Key Stage 1. Children in Reception or Year 2 can also use it with a grown up, especially if they enjoy talking about the weather and the seasons.
- How long does it take?
It takes about 10 minutes. Children answer in writing or by speaking. You can make the session shorter by doing a few questions at a time, or longer by adding the stretch idea on page 2.
- Does my child need to know why the seasons happen?
No. At Year 1 the aim is to notice and describe change. Children use words such as longer, shorter, light and dark. Explaining the reasons comes much later in primary school.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil. It works well for quiet time after school, a rainy day or the school holidays. Looking out of the window together makes a good extra.
- What if my child finds it hard?
Read each question aloud and let them answer by speaking. Link the question to something they know, such as bedtime or playing outside after tea. Then check together using the notes on page 2.
- Which part of the curriculum does it support?
It supports the seasonal changes strand of Year 1 science in the National Curriculum for England. It is practice and play, so it supports classroom learning and does not replace it.
- What is on page 2?
Page 2 is for the grown up. It has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard, a stretch idea and the answers. Keep it separate from page 1.
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Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.