What are the four seasons of the year?

The four seasons of the year!

Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons takes us on a delightful 40-minute journey with a concert that represents the seasons that mark our lives each year. This work is an essential part of music history, a compilation of concerts we never tire of hearing, just as we never tire of the seasons, which we long to experience and feel every year. Dear Vivaldi, before listening to your composition, the children would like to know more about the seasons before discovering them in music.

Snow, the sun, the falling leaves, the rain… The changing seasons are fascinating, especially for our little ones who are discovering the world. As they grow, their curiosity awakens a little more each day, leading them to ask us countless questions that sometimes leave us speechless. They might wonder: The seasons of the year are like the chapters of a magical book that tells the story of the world around us. Each season has its own charm and offers us the opportunity to explore and discover new things. Let’s get to know them together!

In this article, we’ll see how to explain the seasons of the year to children aged 3, 5, or even 8 years old.

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I. What are the four seasons of the year and their months?

Spring, summer, autumn, and winter are the four seasons of the year.

How can they be distinguished? For the little ones to recognize and distinguish them, a few simple characteristics can help.

1. Spring

In spring, the temperature softens but remains cool. It’s like a magical awakening after a long winter’s sleep. The days get longer, and the sun shines brighter. It’s the perfect time to go outside and enjoy nature.

Nature is in full bloom, and the trees gradually cover themselves with leaves, creating a beautiful and colorful landscape, and the birds’ songs can be heard.

The spring months are March, April, May, and June.

Here are some activities to do in spring:

  1. Flower Watching: Take a walk in the park and observe the blooming flowers. Try to identify different types and colors.
  2. Planting Seeds: Why not plant some seeds in pots and watch them grow with proper care?
  3. Butterfly Crafts: Make butterfly crafts with colored paper and glue. You can hang them in your room to give it a spring touch!

2. Summer

When summer arrives, the sun shines brightly, and the temperature is warm. Psst, it’s time to bring out the swimsuits and take a dip in the sea or the pool. Summer is a time for fun in the sun and outdoor adventures. The temperatures rise, and school vacations begin.

How about inviting your friends to play in the garden or the park? There’s nothing like a fun treasure hunt with a snack or picnic!

The summer months are June, July, August, and September.

Here are some activities to do in summer:

  1. Beach Day: Grab your bucket and shovel and head to the beach to build sandcastles and swim in the sea!
  2. Picnic in the Park: Organize a picnic with your friends or family in a nearby park. Don’t forget to bring a big blanket and plenty of treats to enjoy.
  3. Making Homemade Ice Cream: How about making your own ice cream with your favorite flavors? All you need is some milk, sugar, and fruit to create your own frozen delights.

3. Autumn

In autumn, the green leaves turn orange before falling and creating a beautiful orange and yellow landscape. It brings with it a spectacle of colors as the leaves change and fall to the ground. It’s a cozy time to spend indoors and enjoy creative activities.

Why not take advantage of it by going for a walk in the forest? Psst, let’s go, let’s collect the prettiest leaves!

The autumn months are September, October, November, and December.

Here are some ideas for activities to celebrate the arrival of autumn:

  1. Leaf Collection Walk: Take a walk and collect leaves of different colors and shapes. You can use them later for crafts or to decorate your home.
  2. Halloween Crafts: Get ready for Halloween by making crafts like ghosts, pumpkins, and bats!
  3. Baking Autumn Cookies: Fire up the oven and bake delicious cookies in the shape of leaves, pumpkins, or apples. It’ll be a fun and tasty activity!

4. Winter

When winter arrives, the temperatures are cold, and snow sometimes appears, covering nature with a beautiful white blanket. It also gives us the opportunity to enjoy activities both indoors and outdoors.

It’s the perfect time to warm up with a fun family game and a good hot chocolate.

The winter months are December, January, February, and March.

How about a little game to learn to recognize spring, summer, autumn, and winter? A free mini-game that can be downloaded so that children aged 3 to 7 can guess which image is correct.

Here are some ideas for winter activities:

  1. Building Snowmen: When it snows, go outside and build a snowman with your friends or family!
  2. Movie Nights at Home: Take advantage of the dark and cold days to organize movie nights at home with blankets and popcorn.
  3. Christmas Crafts: Make homemade Christmas ornaments with paper, cardboard, glitter, and other materials. You can decorate your Christmas tree with your own creations!

II. Why do the seasons occur?

Between the rain, cold, and sun, we wonder why the weather changes at different times of the year. Do you know what causes these changes?

These climate changes are explained by the fact that the Earth revolves around the sun.

Since the sun cannot illuminate and warm the entire surface of the Earth at the same time, temperatures and light levels vary from one area of the Earth to another. Thus, these seasonal changes occur due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis.

Learn Bright explains in a short video how the seasons of the year occur, perfect for our little ones.

III. When do the four seasons begin?

The arrival of Santa Claus in the snow, vacations at the beach, or the start of the school year… When do spring, summer, autumn, and winter begin?

The seasons last about 3 months, but what are the dates for the 2024 seasons? This little chart shows the dates for each season.

SEASONSDATES
SpringMarch 20, 2024
SummerJune 21, 2024
AutumnSeptember 23, 2024
WinterDecember 22, 2024

IV. What could be better than learning while playing?

Invite them to discover the fruits and vegetables of the year with a free guessing game or test their knowledge by coloring, drawing, or playing. Ideal for distinguishing the fruits and vegetables of each season!

1. Coloring

Is snow from winter or autumn? Get out the colored pencils and start coloring the four seasons.

Ask the children to draw a little picture for fun and see if they’ve remembered the characteristics of each season. Get your colored pencils ready! 😉

2. All in one picture

¡Descubrir las estaciones en imágenes es más divertido!

Discovering the seasons in pictures is more fun!

Download our free mini-game that shows spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and ask your child(ren) to match the pictures to the correct season.

3. All in the music

There’s nothing like a little song to learn. Psst, dear parents, be careful, you might have the song stuck in your head all day! That’s a sign of a successful lesson, isn’t it?

4. Guessing game

Games4esl shares a short video where she invites the little ones to guess the the weather. Will they be able to recognize the correct weather?

5. Educational resources

The Twinkl website provides educational resources adapted for second-cycle students and primary education (children aged 6-12). Ideal for learning through games and crafts.

And yes, learning through games has proven effective because children develop their skills and knowledge while having fun. Learning is less boring because they feel like they’re playing. Thus, the multiple benefits of play favor the child’s development.

Do you want to introduce more fun activities to facilitate learning? Discover the ready-to-use Escape Room kits, which stimulate and encourage reflection, communication, sharing, and emotional management while having fun. An original, fun, and creative game!

Save time with one of our Escape Room kits!

30 minutes of setup, 1h of play, satisfied or reimbursed

V. Finally, how do you say the seasons of the year in Spanish & French?

As Spanish is the second most spoken native language in the world, our little ones will have to learn it. Spanish-speaking culture is now introduced to children from the first grade. Indeed, at this age, their memory capacities are more developed due to their attentive hearing and thirst for discovery in full awakening.

Therefore, you can start teaching them a few words from the age of 3 (how to say hello/goodbye, thank you/please, counting to 10, some colors…).

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From ages 6 to 8, once the native language is established, you can introduce more advanced Spanish lessons to take advantage of this prime learning period. Now, let’s get back to our main topic! 😉 Knowing the vocabulary will be essential for the kids.

The seasons of the year in English! Here are the four little English words to remember:

  • Spring: Primavera
  • Summer: Verano
  • Autumn: Otoño
  • Winter: Invierno

The seasons of the year in French! Here are the four little French words to remember:

  • Spring: Printemps
  • Summer: Été
  • Autumn: Automne
  • Winter: Hiver

Looking for a perfect activity for all seasons?

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We hope you find the answers to your little ones’ questions to satisfy their growing curiosity, which continues to awaken every day. They will learn many things about the seasons of the year, such as their names, when they begin and end, and how to say them in Spanish or French, through small games, videos, and coloring activities. Do you have any ideas for educational topics you’d like to see on our blog? Leave us a comment. 😉