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Same Day, Opposite Season: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 5

  • ForYear 5
  • StageKey Stage 2
  • CostFree
  • FormatPrintable PDF
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Same Day, Opposite Season is a free printable geography worksheet for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10), in Key Stage 2. Children fill in a table of cities and seasons, draw two Christmas scenes, then write a postcard to a pen pal on 25 December. It needs only paper and a pencil.

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. It has notes, help, a stretch idea and the answers. Black and white printing works well.

What is on the sheet

Children begin with a table. It has columns for city, country, the season on 25 December and the season on 25 June. Next they draw two scenes, one headed My Christmas Day in the UK and one headed A Christmas barbecue in Sydney. Then they write a postcard to a pen pal. A short checklist at the end lets them tick that they described their own weather and what their pen pal might be doing.

  • City
  • Country
  • Season on 25 December
  • Season on 25 June
  • My Christmas Day in the UK
  • A Christmas barbecue in Sydney
  • I said what the weather is like for me.
  • I said what my pen pal might be doing.

Making a good postcard

Start with a greeting

Begin with Dear and the name of a pen pal, real or made up. Put the date, 25 December, at the top so the reader knows when it was written.

Describe your own day

Say what the weather is like where you are. Add something you can see, hear or wear. Small details make a postcard feel real.

Imagine your pen pal

Say what your pen pal might be doing today. Use words such as might and probably, because you are guessing from what you know about their part of the world.

Check and sign off

Read it back. Then use the checklist on the sheet to see that both ideas are in. Finish with a friendly sign off and your name.

Why the seasons swap

The Earth is a ball that spins on an axis, an imaginary line through the middle from top to bottom. That axis is tilted. The Earth also travels around the Sun, and one trip takes about a year. The equator is an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth. It splits the planet into two halves called hemispheres. The UK is in the northern hemisphere.

Because of the tilt, one hemisphere leans towards the Sun while the other leans away. This means the two hemispheres have opposite seasons at the same time. Seasons are not caused by the Earth being nearer to or further from the Sun. This is a big idea for Year 5, and a postcard to a faraway friend gives children a reason to use it.

Quick facts about hemispheres

  • The equator is an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth.
  • The UK is in the northern hemisphere.
  • The Earth takes about a year to travel once around the Sun.
  • The Earth's axis is tilted, and that tilt is what gives us seasons.
  • Places near the equator stay warm all year, so their seasons change less than ours do.

Skills and curriculum link

  • Comparing places
  • Using hemispheres
  • Writing a postcard
  • Explaining seasons
  • Imagining another point of view

Helping with the geography

  • Use a globe or atlasFind the UK together, then find the equator. Ask your child which half of the Earth each city is in. Seeing it on a globe makes hemispheres easier to picture.
  • Think about the tiltA torch and a ball show how light falls on a tilted Earth. Hold the ball at an angle and shine the torch on it. Look at which part gets the most light.
  • Write in roleAsk your child to imagine being the pen pal. What would they see out of the window? Writing as someone else helps children compare two places.
  • Keep it separate from weather todayThe table is about the usual season at that time of year, not what the weather is like this week. Talk about the difference between season and weather.

Key words

  • HemisphereHalf of the Earth. The equator divides the Earth into a northern and a southern hemisphere.
  • EquatorAn imaginary line around the middle of the Earth.
  • SeasonOne of the four parts of the year, each with its own usual weather.
  • TiltTo lean to one side. The Earth's axis is tilted.
  • Pen palA friend you write to, often someone who lives far away.
  • PostcardA short message written on a card and sent to someone.

How to use it

  1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2 for yourself.
  2. Read the intro together. Look at a globe or atlas if you have one.
  3. Let your child fill in the table first. Then they draw both scenes and write the postcard.
  4. Ask them to use the checklist to see that the postcard says what the weather is like for them and what their pen pal might be doing.
  5. Check against page 2. Come back to the sheet another day, because repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.

Help, stretch and game ideas

If it feels too hard

Point to the UK and the other city on a globe or atlas. Do the table together and talk about each choice. Give sentence starters such as 'Where I live, it is...' and 'Where you live, you might be...'. Let them draw before they write.

To stretch confident children

Add a second postcard dated 25 June. Ask your child to explain why the seasons swap between the two hemispheres, using the word tilt. They could also choose a new city and add it to the table.

Make it a game

Make a pretend passport stamp for each city in the table, using a pencil drawing. Then swap postcards with a partner and read them aloud. Can the listener say what the weather is like for the writer, and what the pen pal might be doing?

Mistakes to watch for

Watch forA child thinks it is summer when the Earth is closer to the Sun.

Try thisUse a torch and a ball. Show that the tilt changes how directly the light falls on each half, while the distance stays much the same.

Watch forThe postcard only describes the writer's own day.

Try thisPoint to the checklist. Ask, 'What might your pen pal be doing right now?' Then add a sentence about it.

Watch forA child mixes up a hemisphere with a country.

Try thisUse a globe. Show that a hemisphere is half of the whole Earth and a country is a much smaller area inside it.

Talk about it

  • What do you usually wear and do on 25 December where you live?
  • How could two people have the same date but very different weather?
  • What do you think a pen pal in another hemisphere would find strange about our Christmas?
  • Why do you think the equator is called an imaginary line?
  • What would you most like to ask a pen pal about their life?
  • Is there a place you would like to visit? Which hemisphere is it in?

Take it off the page

Globe hunt

Use a globe or atlas to find the equator, then name three places in each hemisphere. Take turns choosing a place and asking which half of the Earth it is in.

Season wheel

Draw a circle and split it into four parts. Label each part with a season and add a picture of what you do in the UK at that time of year.

Real pen pal

Write a short letter to a friend or relative who lives far away. Ask them what the weather is like today and what they are doing.

Who it is for

Parents

Sit with your child for the first go, then let them lead. Short bursts work well, and the postcard can be finished another day. Praise their thinking and their ideas, not only the right answers.

Teachers

Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. It fits a lesson on hemispheres or seasons, and the postcard gives a short writing task. Page 2 supports mixed ability groups.

Home educators

Pair the sheet with a globe, an atlas or a book about another country. It prints again for brothers and sisters, or for a repeat in a few weeks. Try the stretch idea with older children.

Where this fits in geography

Before this sheet, children usually learn the four seasons and the weather where they live. They also begin to use maps and globes to find places. This sheet builds on that by asking them to compare two places on the same date.

Afterwards, children can go on to look more closely at the equator, the northern and southern hemispheres, and how climate differs around the world. At strand level in the National Curriculum for England, this links to locational knowledge and to human and physical geography in Key Stage 2.

Questions parents and teachers ask

What age is Same Day, Opposite Season for?

It is written for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10), in Key Stage 2. Younger children may need more help with the idea of hemispheres. Older children can try the stretch idea on page 2.

What will children practise?

Children practise comparing seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres. They also practise writing a short postcard. It is a geography activity with a short piece of writing at the end.

How do I use it?

Print both pages and read the intro together. Children fill in the table first, then draw both scenes and write the postcard. They finish with the checklist, and you can check their work using page 2.

What if my child finds it hard?

Use a globe or atlas and work through the table together. Give sentence starters for the postcard and let them draw first. Page 2 has more help ideas for children who find the sheet difficult.

Is it free?

Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers and sisters, or for revision a few weeks later.

Can teachers use it in class?

Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 gives support and stretch ideas.

Is it screen free, and do I need colour?

Yes, it is screen free and needs only paper and a pencil. No colour printing is needed. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper.

Preview the full PDF

Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.

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