The sun: It’s the center of our solar system and the lifeblood of our planet. Every day, this celestial giant bathes us in light, playing a crucial role in our lives and the environment. As a parent or caregiver, introducing the sun’s importance and beauty to children can be both fun and educational.
In this guide, you’ll find engaging information about the sun tailored for young minds, plus sun clipart & printable coloring pages, as well as craft ideas to spark creativity, and learning activities to enhance understanding.
Understanding the sun
☀️ The sun as a source of energy
The sun might just seem like a bright light in the sky, but it’s actually a star, made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. Its energy comes from nuclear fusion, a process that happens in its core, where hydrogen atoms combine to form helium, releasing energy in the form of light and heat. This process is crucial because it’s the primary source of energy for life on Earth.
☀️ The sun, by the numbers
For kids, the sun is like a giant, glowing ball that rises and sets each day, creating day and night. It’s much bigger than Earth—about 109 times the diameter of our planet! The surface of the sun is incredibly hot, with temperatures around 5,500 degrees Celsius. The sun also has different layers, like the core, the radiative zone, and the convective zone, each playing a specific role in how the sun functions.
☀️ The sun’s cycle
Understanding the sun’s cycle is fascinating too. The sun goes through an 11-year cycle where its magnetic poles flip. This cycle affects the number of sunspots and solar flares, which can impact Earth’s climate and technology. Explaining these concepts can help children appreciate how the sun affects our daily lives and the technology we use.
☀️ VIDEO: “All About the Sun for Kids”
10 fun sun facts
- The sun is over 4.5 billion years old.
- It takes about 8 minutes for sunlight to reach Earth.
- The sun’s core is so hot that a small piece of it the size of a pinhead would give off enough heat to kill a person 160 kilometers away.
- Without the sun, there would be no rainbows.
- The sun travels at about 220 kilometers per second as it orbits around the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
- The sun’s gravity is 28 times stronger than Earth’s.
- Every second, the sun converts about 4 million tons of matter into energy.
- The sun’s atmosphere extends millions of kilometers into space.
- During a total solar eclipse, the moon can completely cover the sun because it’s the perfect distance away to appear the same size in the sky.
- Ancient cultures often worshiped the sun as a deity.
Sun-themed craft ideas
Sun catchers
- Gather materials: colored tissue paper, clear contact paper, and a paper plate.
- Cut the center out of the paper plate to create a frame.
- Cut the tissue paper into small pieces.
- Arrange the tissue paper on the sticky side of the contact paper.
- Seal with another piece of contact paper and place inside the paper plate frame. Hang in a sunny window.
Sunshine mobile
- Cut sun shapes from cardstock.
- Decorate with markers, glitter, or stickers.
- Punch holes at the top and tie string to each sun.
- Hang from a hanger or stick for a sunny display.
Solar system hat
- Obtain a wide-brimmed hat.
- Attach foam balls painted as planets in orbit around a large yellow sun.
- Wear it to demonstrate how the planets orbit the sun.
Sunrise landscape
- Paint a sunrise background on a large piece of paper.
- Use different materials like fabric or paper to create a layered landscape that brightens as the sun rises.
- 30 Sets Spring Flower Suncatcher :30 sets diy window art suncatcher kits includes 30Pcs diy sun catcher making kit in 6 designs, 16 bottles of 8 rainbow colors suncatcher paints (10ml...
- Material: Our window art suncatchers kit are made of transparent plastic, not glass, so they’re safe too. they will be sun-through after being painted, The acrylic beads are...
- DIY Spring Arts and Crafts Kits:These flower crafts suncatchers width size are about 3.7'',393" fishing thread,Each mini paint pot holds 0.17 oz/10ml of paint,suncatcher paint include...
- Make your springtime décor blossom with our flower suncatchers! they're lovely Mandala Window Cling kit for adults that accent your windows,glass doors,trees,car windows,mirrors,or...
Learning activities about the sun
Sunrise and sunset journal
- Observe and record the time of sunrise and sunset for a week.
- Discuss how the times change and what factors might affect this.
Solar oven
- Build a simple solar oven using a pizza box, aluminum foil, and plastic wrap.
- Bake treats like s’mores and observe the cooking process.
Shadow play
- Trace shadows at different times of day to see how they change.
- Discuss why shadows are longer in the morning and evening than at noon.
Sun dial creation
- Make a simple sundial using a plate, a pencil, and some stones.
- Use it to tell time and explore how ancient civilizations used the sun.
- Build a colorful, mechanical, rotating model of our solar system!
- The model uses a windup motor to set the planets in motion--no batteries required.
- Explore fundamental gear mechanics and discover a special type of gear called a planetary gear.
- Great for science fair projects, you'll learn about the planets' celestial orbits and tons of cool planetary facts.
Cute fun sun printable coloring pages to print or download
Here comes the sun! In fact, there’s a different and fun sun coloring page for every hour of the day — 24 free cartoonish, cute, or silly printable suns — plus another 20 creative color clipart sun drawings.
Printable sun shapes – stylized & abstract
[sc name=”adsense-article” ]
Fun sun coloring pages – Silly faces
Sets of 4 different cute sun clipart drawings/decorations
These little color clipart images would be perfect on greeting cards or to use as gift tags!
Discover more about the sun through books
Books are a fantastic way to dive deeper into any subject, including the sun. Whether it’s a scientific textbook for kids, a storybook about the sun’s role in different cultures, or a guide on solar phenomena, enriching your child’s library with sun-themed books can spark curiosity and further learning.
- Hardcover Book
- McAnulty, Stacy (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages - 10/23/2018 (Publication Date) - Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (Publisher)
- Hardcover Book
- Seluk, Nick (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages - 10/09/2018 (Publication Date) - Orchard Books (Publisher)
- McDonald, Rebecca (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 44 Pages - 06/10/2019 (Publication Date) - House of Lore (Publisher)
- Chrismer, Melanie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 24 Pages - 03/01/2008 (Publication Date) - Children's Press (Publisher)
- Branley, Dr. Franklyn M. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages - 05/07/2002 (Publication Date) - HarperCollins (Publisher)
