Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Winter Solstice Gap Fill: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 5
- ForYear 5
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Winter Solstice Gap Fill is a free printable science worksheet for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10). Children read a short passage and fill in the missing words to explain why December is so dark. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help for children who find it hard, and a stretch idea.
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 read a short passage about the winter solstice and use it to fill in the gaps. They choose words that make sense, using the clues around each gap. The sheet has lines for writing too. The aim is to explain the shortest day in simple scientific language, linked to the movement of the Earth and Sun.
Try it with a torch and an orange
Get ready
Find a torch and a ball or an orange. Draw the curtains or choose a dim room. The torch stands in for the Sun and the orange stands in for the Earth.
Light the Earth
Hold the torch still and shine it on the orange. Turn the orange slowly. Ask your child to point to the part that is lit and the part that is dark.
Tilt and look again
Lean the orange to one side and shine the torch again. Turn it slowly. Ask what looks the same and what looks different about the lit part. This idea is enrichment beyond the Year 5 programme.
What is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of daylight in the year for people in the northern half of the world, including the UK. It usually falls on 21 or 22 December. After that day, daylight in the UK slowly grows longer again, even though the coldest weather often comes later in winter.
People have marked this time of year for a very long time. Gatherings at Stonehenge in Wiltshire are one well known example, and they are not always held on 21 December. A gap fill suits this topic well. Children must read closely, pick up clues from the sentences and use scientific words in the right place.
Never look straight at the Sun, even when it is low in the sky in winter. Use a torch for the model, not the Sun. If children track sunset times, an adult can find the times for them.
Quick facts about the shortest day
- The winter solstice is the day with the least daylight in the year in the UK.
- In the UK it usually falls on 21 or 22 December.
- After the winter solstice, the days slowly get longer again in the UK.
- Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England, is a famous place where people gather around the solstice.
- The Sun is a star, and it gives the Earth its light and warmth.
Skills and curriculum link
- Scientific vocabulary
- Reading closely
- Explaining the seasons
- Using clues in a text
- Writing short, clear answers
Ideas to help you talk about it
- Use the torch modelShine a torch on a ball or orange in a dim room. Turn the ball slowly and let your child describe what they see in their own words.
- Read for cluesBefore writing, read the whole sentence and the one after it. Ask which kind of word could fit, such as a name, a place or a describing word.
- Link to real lifeTalk about when it gets dark on a school day in December and how that feels different from a day in summer.
- Keep the language simpleLet your child say it their way first. Then help them swap in the scientific word, so the new word has a meaning to hang on.
Key words
- SolsticeOne of the two days in the year when daylight is at its shortest or its longest.
- DaylightThe light from the Sun during the day.
- SeasonOne of the four parts of the year: spring, summer, autumn and winter.
- HemisphereOne half of the Earth. The UK is in the northern one.
- OrbitThe path one object takes around another, such as a planet around a star.
- SunsetThe time in the evening when the Sun goes below the horizon.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes for you.
- Read the passage once together. Ask your child what they think it is about before they write anything.
- Use a torch and a tilted ball or orange to show how the Sun lights the Earth. Then let your child fill the easy words first.
- Work through the activity together the first time. Talk about each choice, then check against the notes on page 2.
- Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Read the passage once, then fill the easy words first. Look at the words before and after each gap for clues. Say the sentence aloud with your chosen word in it. If it sounds odd or does not make sense, try another.
To stretch confident children
This is enrichment beyond Year 5. Ask what is happening in Australia at the same time. Why is it summer there? Talk about it using the torch and orange. Gatherings at Stonehenge are not always on 21 December, so ask why that might be.
Make it a game
Watch the sunset time on the shortest day and the day after. Is it later? Write the times in a small table and keep going for a week. Ask your child what they notice and what they expect next.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child thinks the shortest day has fewer than 24 hours.
Try thisRemind them every day has 24 hours. The shortest day is the one with the least daylight in it.
Watch forA child fills in the first word that comes to mind without reading on.
Try thisRead the whole sentence and the one after it. Ask, "Does that make sense here?" before writing.
Watch forA child thinks the shortest day is also the coldest day.
Try thisTalk about how temperature and daylight are different things. In the UK the coldest weather often comes weeks later.
Talk about it
- What do you notice about the sky on your way home in December?
- Why do you think people have marked the shortest day for so long?
- How do you feel on dark winter evenings, and what do you like to do?
- What did the torch and orange help you see?
- Which word on the sheet was new to you, and how did you work out where it went?
- What would you like to find out about the Sun and the Earth?
Take it off the page
Torch and orange
In a dim room, shine a torch on an orange and turn it slowly. Draw what you see, then lean the orange and draw it again.
Daylight diary
Each day for a week, write down the sunrise and sunset times. An adult can find them. Look for how the times change.
Season word poster
Make a poster with solstice, daylight, season, hemisphere and orbit. Add a small drawing and a meaning for each word.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go, then let them lead. The torch and orange model helps if they get stuck. Praise their thinking, not only correct words.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task or homework in the run up to Christmas. It fits Year 5 Earth and space and gives good practice with scientific vocabulary.
Home educators
Pair it with a walk at dusk, a book about the seasons or a look at sunset times. The stretch idea on page 2 is a good talking point for older children.
Where this fits in science
Children first meet seasons and changing day length in Key Stage 1. In Key Stage 2 they build on this, and in Year 5 Earth and space they describe how the Earth and Sun move and use this to explain day and night.
This sheet helps them use the right words to explain the shortest day. In Key Stage 3 they go further and explain the seasons in more detail, which is why the lean of the Earth is enrichment here.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Winter Solstice Gap Fill for?
It is written for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10), in Key Stage 2. Children in Year 4 or Year 6 may also enjoy it with a little support or extra challenge.
- What will children practise?
They practise scientific vocabulary, reading closely and explaining the seasons. They use simple words to explain the shortest day, linked to the movement of the Earth and Sun in Year 5 Earth and space.
- Is the tilt of the Earth part of the Year 5 curriculum?
No. The lean of the Earth is enrichment beyond the Year 5 programme, ahead of Key Stage 3. The sheet and page 2 mention it only as an extra for confident children.
- What if the sheet feels too hard?
Read the passage once, then fill the easy words first. Use the clues in the sentences around each gap. The torch and orange model can also help your child picture what the passage describes.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision a few weeks later.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it suits quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. A torch and an orange are useful for the extra model, but not essential.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. It works 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 for mixed ability groups.
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.