Seasons — Earth science, 4–6 years
Why the year brings warmer and colder times, and how people, plants and animals notice the change.
What seasons are
A year has repeating parts called seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. In some seasons the days feel warmer, in others colder, and plants and animals may change what they do. The same seasons return each year, in the same order.
Why seasons happen
People needed a way to understand why daylight, temperature and living things change during the year. Earth travels around the Sun, and its axis leans a little, so each half of Earth gets more direct sunlight at different times. That yearly pattern makes seasons; it is not simply because Earth moves much nearer to the Sun.
A year in a park
In January, a park in Portugal may have short, chilly days, and a tree may have few leaves. Step 1: Earth continues its journey around the Sun. Step 2: by July, that place receives longer, stronger sunlight, so the days often feel warmer and the tree is leafy. Step 3: later, autumn brings shorter days again and some leaves fall.
A tempting mix-up
A reasonable guess is that summer happens because Earth is much closer to the Sun. It sounds sensible because the Sun warms us, but the seasons are mainly caused by Earth’s tilt: sunlight reaches a region more directly and for longer in its summer. When it is summer in the north, it is winter in the south.
Seasons in daily life
People use seasons to decide when to plant some crops, choose clothes and prepare for shorter or longer days. Many animals use the yearly pattern too: birds may migrate, and some animals grow thicker coats. Seasons help us plan, but a particular day can still be rainy, windy or unusually warm.
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