🌍 Science & Nature

Why Do We Have Day and Night?

Ages 7–9

You will learn

Explain that day and night happen because the Earth spins, so each place takes turns facing the Sun.

Before you start

Knowing that the Earth is a ball (a sphere) and that the Sun gives light.

Quick answer

We have day and night because the Earth spins around once about every 24 hours. The side facing the Sun has day, and the side facing away from the Sun has night.

Let’s learn

The Sun gives us light. The Earth is a giant ball that is always spinning, like a slow spinning top.

How day and night happen

  • The side of the Earth facing the Sun is bright: it has day ☀️.
  • The side facing away from the Sun is dark: it has night 🌙.
  • As the Earth spins, every place takes a turn in the light and a turn in the dark.

The Earth spins around once about every 24 hours. That is why one day and one night together last about 24 hours.

Sunrise and sunset

The Sun does not really move across the sky. We are moving! Because of the way the Earth spins, the Sun seems to rise in the east and set in the west.

Check what you know

Choose an answer, then press Check. You can try again if you need to.

  1. 1 Why do we have day and night?
  2. 2 About how long does the Earth take to spin around once?
  3. 3 When it is day where you live, what is it like on the other side of the Earth?
  4. 4 In which direction does the Sun seem to rise in the morning?

Try this next

With a grown-up, shine a torch on a ball in a dark room. Turn the ball slowly. Which side is in the light (day) and which is in the dark (night)?