Seasons Teaching Resources
Browse printable seasons worksheets, activities and more for teaching about all four seasons and the characteristics of each in your primary classroom.
This collection of teaching resources is aligned with the Australian Curriculum, and each resource has undergone careful review by an expert teacher on the Teach Starter team to ensure they're ready for your classroom. With printable and digital options at hand, you'll save important lesson planning time.
New to teaching about seasons or looking for fresh ideas to engage your students? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Are the Seasons? A Kid-Friendly Definition
To explain what the seasons are to your students, this kid-friendly definition can help:
Seasons refer to the different times of the year when the weather and nature around us change. Each season is associated with different weather conditions, and the seasons each have an effect on the environment, such as changes in plant growth and animal behaviour.
What Are the Four Seasons?
Of course, there are four seasons, but when are they, and what makes them different from one another? These are all questions you're bound to explore with your students this school year.
So let's dive in!
Summer
Summer runs from December 1 to February 28 or 29, and it's the hottest season here in Australia. Many of us spend time at the beach or in a pool because it's so hot!
School is closed for most of the summer as families (and teachers!) enjoy their holidays. Christmas is one celebration that happens during summer.
Autumn
Right after summer is autumn, the season that lasts from March 1 to May 31 and is characterised by mild to warm temperatures and lower humidity.
During the autumn season, there are a number of celebrations and events that occur, such as Easter and Anzac Day.
Winter
Winter lasts from June 1 to August 31. It is the coldest season when we usually wear jackets and jumpers to keep warm. Some parts of Australia even get snow during winter!
Spring
This fourth season lasts from September 1 to November 30. Rainfall usually increases, and we see flowers start to bloom as they come back to life after winter.
What Causes the Seasons to Change?
The changing of the seasons occurs due to the way the Earth moves around the sun and because of how it's tilted on an axis — an imaginary line that runs through the centre of the Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole.
Earth is tilted at an angle of about 23.5 degrees. As the planet orbits around the sun, different parts of Earth receive different amounts of sunlight at different times of the year. When one hemisphere of the Earth is tilted towards the sun, that hemisphere receives more direct sunlight and experiences warmer temperatures. This creates summer in that hemisphere.
When that same hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, it receives less direct sunlight and experiences cooler temperatures. This creates winter in that hemisphere. The opposite hemisphere experiences the opposite season at the same time — so when we have winter in Australia, people in the northern hemisphere experience summer.
During the equinoxes, which occur twice a year, the Earth's axis is not tilted towards or away from the sun. This means that both hemispheres receive about the same amount of sunlight. This creates the seasons of spring and autumn.
What Is an Equinox?
An equinox is a special time of year when the day and night are almost the same length all around the world. This happens twice a year, around 20 March and 22 September. During an equinox, the Earth is not leaning towards or away from the sun, which means that the sun is shining directly over the Earth's equator. During the two annual equinoxes, Australia experiences the seasons of spring and autumn.
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Seasonal Changes Differentiated Word Search
Get your students’ minds buzzing with this word search seasons activity, while they build their scientific vocabulary about Earth and space sciences.
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Characteristics of Seasons Interactive Activity
Use this activity-packed interactive resource to explore with your students the names and characteristics of summer, autumn, winter and spring!
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Months and Seasons Worksheet - Matching Activity
Order the months of the year and match them with their corresponding seasons with a cut-and-paste activity.
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Four Seasons Tree Activity
Create a visual representation of the 4 seasons with a printable tree template.
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Seasons in the Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere Poster
Use these posters in the classroom to give students a visual representation of the seasons (and which months they inlcude in both the Northern Hemishpere and the Southern Hemisphere).
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The Seasons - Posters
A set of beautifully illustrated posters that depict the seasons and the differences between them.
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Seasons, Weather and Our Choices Worksheets
Hand out these eight great seasons worksheets to help your students learn all about the seasonal changes and the way they affect our everyday choices.
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Seasonal Changes Teaching Presentation
Show your students this 26-slide teaching presentation all about the changing seasons, and develop their understanding of seasonal changes in the environment.
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Seasonal Changes Worksheets
Engage your young learners with this set of fun season worksheets. Included are 12 activities to keep them busily learning!
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What's the Season? Teaching Slides
Use this teaching presentation to help your students explore the four seasons and how they affect everyday life.
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Seasonal Changes Worksheet
A worksheet the explores the observable features of the seasons.
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Four Seasons Spinner Activity — Southern Hemisphere
Print a four seasons spinner activity to expand students' understanding of the different times of the year.
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Seasons and Months Posters
Use these four months and the seasons posters to help your students to learn the seasons and their corresponding months.
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Spring Writing Prompts for Beginning Writers
Use the season of spring to inspire writing in your early years classroom.
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Grade One Seasons Worksheet
Set this seasons worksheet as a task for your Grade Ones to show their knowledge of the seasons' names and their order.
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Order of Seasons Task Cards
Use these task cards to allow students to practise ordering images of seasonal changes across the year.
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Four Seasons Mini Book
Make learning about the four seasons fun with this marvellous minibook for your Foundation students!
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The Earth's Seasons Teaching Slides
Use this fact-packed digital teaching resource to show your students the names and characteristics of Earth’s four seasons.
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The Changing Seasons – Worksheet
Read and write about the changing seasons with a comprehension passage and worksheet.
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How Seasons Affect Plants and Animals Teaching Slides
Share this informational slide deck with your Grade One class to teach students about how seasons affect plants and animals on planet Earth.
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Seasonal Cycle of a Tree Poster
Help your students investigate seasonal changes undertaken by trees throughout the year with this infographic-style poster.
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Seasons, Weather and Our Choices Interactive Activity
Complete this whole-class interactive activity to teach students the connection between the seasonal conditions and their daily choices.
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Seasonal Changes in Plants Posters
Display these seasonal plants posters to show your students the variations in fruit, vegetable and plant growth across Earth’s four seasons.
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Order of Seasons Interactive Activity
Explore the order of the seasons with your students by travelling through times of the year in this interactive adventure.
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Seasonal Changes Words and Definitions Display
Display this easy-to-read seasons word set in your classroom as you investigate seasonal changes with your young students.
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Four Seasons Picture Sorting – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Sort pictures according to the season they represent with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Seasons of the Year Sorting Activity
Year 1 students can identify proper clothing, activities and objects for different types of weather with this four seasons activity.
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My Favourite Season Worksheet
Activate your students' prior knowledge about the seasons using this worksheet which prompts them to state which is their favourite season and justify their choice.
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Seasons Affect Plants and Animals Flipbook
Use this fun flipbook to teach students how the seasons affect plants and animals while allowing them to connect to prior knowledge by answering questions on each page.
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How Seasons Affect Plants and Animals Poster Set
Display these informative posters in your Grade One classroom to remind students of the five ways animals and plants adapt to seasonal changes in their environment.
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Seasonal Change Display Banner Lettering
Create a science display board for your Seasons unit, beginning with this visually engaging Seasonal Changes banner.
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Season Characteristics Task Cards
Give your students the clues and watch them select the mystery season with this set of 24 task cards.