Sunrise and Sunset for Kids: Why Days Are Long or Short (Grade 1 and 2 Science)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. Every morning the Sun seems to rise, and every evening it seems to set. Today we will learn about sunrise, sunset and why some days have more daylight.

The Sun rises in the east in the morning. It climbs high in the sky around noon. Then it sinks and sets in the west in the evening. This happens every single day.

But the Sun is not really moving around us. Earth is spinning like a top! As Earth turns, our side faces the Sun for day, then turns away for night.

Earth takes one whole day to spin around once. That is twenty four hours. Part of that time is daylight, and part of it is darkness.

Here is a cool pattern. In summer, the Sun rises early and sets late, so we get lots of daylight. In winter, the Sun rises late and sets early, so days are short.

In spring and fall, the amount of daylight is in the middle. Every day the daylight changes a tiny bit, getting longer toward summer and shorter toward winter.

Now it's your turn. You eat dinner and it is still bright and sunny outside. Is it more likely summer or winter? Pause and try. It is summer, when the Sun sets late.

Great job! Remember, the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west because Earth spins. Summer has long days and winter has short days. Practice sunrise and sunset in the Science Lab at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!