An easy and fun coloring day and night spinner craft for kids to help explaining the concept of day and night.
Day and Night Concepts
Our planet spins on its axis once every 24 hours, a movement called Earth’s rotation. This action is why we have day and night.
As Earth twirls, different parts face the warm sun or turn away into cool darkness.
This ceaseless spin ensures a cycle of light and dark, creating patterns we’ve grown accustomed to.
It’s why we can predict when the sun will rise and set every day, bringing life to our schedules and the natural world around us.
How to Explain Day and Night to Kids?
Imagine Earth spinning like a top in space.
As it rotates on its axis, parts of it move into sunlight while others drift into shadow.
This ongoing dance between light and dark creates day and night.
During the day, solar energy bathes us in light, warming the planet and allowing plants to perform photosynthesis.
Nighttime brings darkness, cooler temperatures, and a time for many creatures, especially nocturnal animals, to become active.
Humans, too, are affected; our internal clocks, signal when to wake and rest, influenced by this cycle.
Sunrise and Sunset
Earth spins, making day turn to night. This rotation brings us sunrises and sunsets, lighting up skies in vibrant hues.
Due to Earth’s curved surface and atmosphere, sunlight gets scattered, creating these colorful displays.
Light bends as it moves through the air, separating into a spectrum.
Evenings offer a serene transition as nocturnal animals prepare to rest.
Facts about Day and Night
- Equinoxes and solstices mark changes in seasons. They occur due to Earth’s tilt and orbit around the sun.
- Time zones divide our planet, ensuring that anywhere you go, day and night fall at different times.
- Daylight savings was created to extend evening daylight, saving energy by reducing the need for artificial lighting.
- Nocturnal animals have adapted to life in the dark, using heightened senses to navigate and find food.
- Photosynthesis relies on solar energy, making daylight crucial for most plants’ survival and growth.
- Gravitational pull from the moon influences the lunar phases, impacting tides and animal behavior.
- Sunrise and sunset times vary throughout the year, influenced by Earth’s rotation and tilt.
Day and Night Crafts for Kids
Crafts are fun educational tools to help preschoolers, kindergartners and older kids grasp the concept of day and night.
Here are some day and night crafts we have created:
Day and Night Spinner Craft
Our spinner craft comes with an easy printable template for kids to color, cut and easily assemble.
The wheel features a house and a tree.
A boy playing with his dog, the sun and a bird on top of the house are on the day half.
A sleeping dog, the moon, stars and an owl are on the night half.
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Supplies:
- Day and night printable
- 65lb white cardstock paper
- Colored pencils – my favorites
- Hole punch
- Paper fastener
- Pencil
- Scissors
Step by Step Instructions
Start by printing the spinner and cover on white cardstock paper.
Color the spinner and cut it out.
Color the cover and cut it out.
Use a hole punch to make a hole in the middle of the cover. (where marked)
Use a pencil to make a hole in the middle of the spinner. (where marked)
Attach the spinner and cover together with a paper fastener.