What Happens in Winter? Winter Facts for Kids

Hey kids! When we think about winter, we think about cold weather. Besides the cold temperatures, many other things happen during winter. Are you interested to find out what happens in winter and awesome winter facts for kids?  In this article, you will find out everything you need to know about winter.

What is Winter?

Winter is one of the four seasons. It is the coldest season.

The four seasons include Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.

Winter is the season that comes after Fall and before Spring.

Winter begins on the Winter Solstice.

In the Northern Hemisphere (live above the equator) this happens in December around the 21st. The United States is located in the Northern Hemisphere.

If you live in the Southern Hemisphere (live below the equator) this happens in June. In countries located in the Southern Hemisphere including Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, winter begins June 1st.

The Northern and Southern Hemisphere have opposite seasons. When it is the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere it is the Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year. Not the shortest hours, but the shortest hours of daylight.

The coldest temperatures of the year occur in winter. The shortest days occur in winter. When we think of winter we think of cold temperatures, warm clothing, snow, fewer hours of sunlight, and of course Christmas.

The winter season takes place for four months.  It starts at the end of December, runs through January, and February, and ends towards the end of March. 

Why is it cold in the Winter?

The Earth orbits around the Sun. It takes 365 days for the Earth to make its trip around the sun.

While the Earth is orbiting the Sun it is tilted on its axis.

During the Winter the earth’s axis is tilted away from the sun.

Because the earth’s axis is titled away from the Sun, The rays from the sun have to travel further through the atmosphere before it reaches the earth’s surface. Since it takes longer, the hours of daylight are shorter and the temperature is colder.

Did you know that the sun looks bigger in the winter? It’s true, the Earth is closest to the sun between January 3 and January 5^th? Well, it is, it just doesn’t feel warm because the Earth is tilted away from the Sun.

What Happens in Winter?

Some animals hibernate during winter. Hibernate means to stay inside, in a state of rest.

Many animals that hibernate include bears, chipmunks, squirrels, bees, mice, and hedgehogs. Animals begin preparing to hibernate during Fall. To prepare for hibernation, animals collect enough food to last them through the winter.

While some animals hibernate other animals such as birds and monarch butterflies migrate during the cold weather. To migrate means to move to another location. Birds and monarch butterflies migrate south for the winter to find resources for food and to be in a warmer climate.

Most of the trees will look bare.  Deciduous trees lose all their leaves. Evergreen trees do not lose their leaves. Daylight saving times ends and it gets darker earlier.

People stay inside more than they do during the Spring and Summer.

There are many fun holidays celebrated in the Winter. Holidays in Winter include Christmas, New Year’s, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, and Groundhog Day.

Winter Weather

Winter weather is usually cold and it snows. There are many types of snow, wet snow, fluffy snow, icy snow, thick heavy snow.

Snow falls can be beautiful to watch but, winter weather can be severe, sometimes blizzards, freezing rain, sleet, high winds, and frigid temperatures occur during winter. Chionophobia is the fear of snow? Click here to read more facts about snow.

Winter Activities

There are many fun activities to do in the winter. After it snows, many children and families like to build a snowman, go sleigh riding, have a snowball fight, go skiing, or snowboarding.

If you are looking for fun weekend activities with the family, try ice skating. Ice skating is a fun winter activity go the entire family. Make sure when going ice skating you go to a safe ice skating rink. It is not safe to skate on an ice-covered body of water that isn’t a secure ice skating rink.

Winter is also a fun time to take a nature walk. Next time you take a nature walk after it snows, look for animal footprints. Play a game where you have to guess which kind of animals made the footprints.

If you are going to be outside, make sure you dress for the weather. Bundle up in layers of clothing, a warm coat, hat, gloves, and a scarf to keep warm.

The Winter Olympics take place every four years. The first Winter Olympics were held in the French Alps in 1924. Some Winter Olympic sports include skiing, bobsledding, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, ski jumping, snowboarding, and speed skating.  

We hope you enjoyed reading our winter facts for kids.  Don’t forget to check out our other fun facts for kids on our Fun Facts page.

Winter Coloring Pages