Earth, Sun and Moon: days, months and years: what children learn
This quiz mixes "how long" questions with "why" questions. The wrong answers in the why questions are real misconceptions that many children (and adults) hold: that the Sun travels around the Earth each day, or that the Moon makes its own light. Talking through why each one is wrong is the best part of the game. A flashlight and a ball are all you need to model it at home.
Suggested grade 4 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim.
Next Generation Science Standards teaching connection: Science observation, models and explanations. Use this vocabulary or sequencing game before observing a real example, drawing a model, or explaining an idea with evidence. This is a teaching connection to the NGSS approach, not a claim that the game meets a particular performance expectation. Read the framework.
How to play
Label the picture. Tap a label, then the numbered spot it belongs to. You can also drag a label, or press its number. Each game has 2 pictures to label, with no timer. A label in the wrong spot comes back so you can try again, and you get a point for each label placed right first time. For a quicker go, choose Quick quiz: 10 multiple-choice questions in 150 seconds (choose Relaxed for more time).
Step by step
- Spin = a day. The Earth spins once in about 24 hours. The side facing the Sun has day; the other side has night.
- Orbit = a year. The Earth travels once around the Sun in about 365 days.
- Moon orbit = about a month. The Moon goes around the Earth in about a month. The word "month" comes from "moon".
- The Sun only seems to move. It looks as if the Sun crosses the sky, but it is the Earth turning that makes it appear to move.
- Moonlight is sunlight. The Moon reflects light from the Sun, like a mirror. It does not shine by itself.
Worked examples
Example 1: Why do we have day and night?
Working: The Earth spins. When our side faces the Sun it is day; when it turns away, it is night.
Answer: Because the Earth spins on its axis.
Example 2: How long does the Moon take to travel once around the Earth?
Working: It takes 27.3 days, which is close to a month.
Answer: About a month.
Example 3: Why does the Moon shine?
Working: The Moon is a ball of rock. It has no light of its own.
Answer: It reflects light from the Sun.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Thinking the Sun goes around the Earth every day. Model it: a student (the Earth) spins slowly next to a lamp (the Sun). The lamp stays still but seems to move.
- Mixing up spinning and orbiting. Spinning is turning on the spot (a day). Orbiting is traveling all the way round (a year).
- Thinking the Moon makes its own light. Shine a flashlight on a ball in a dark room. Only the lit side can be seen.
Activities to try at home
- In a dark room, shine a flashlight (the Sun) on a ball or orange (the Earth) and slowly turn it to show day and night.
- Look at the Moon each night for a month and draw its shape.
- Notice where the Sun is in the morning, at lunchtime and in the evening (never look straight at it).
- Print the worksheet and ask your child to explain one "why" answer in their own words.
Ideas for the classroom
- Use a lamp and globes so groups can model day and night, then the Earth's orbit.
- Make shadow sticks in the playground and mark the shadow every hour.
- Role-play: one student is the Sun, one the Earth (spinning while orbiting), one the Moon orbiting the Earth.
- Use the misconceptions in the game as a "Which is wrong and why?" discussion.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a color-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
How should I choose this game for my learner?
Suggested grade 4 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim.
How should I choose this game for my learner?
Suggested grade 4 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim.
Does the Moon spin?
Yes, slowly. It spins once in the same time it takes to orbit the Earth, which is why we always see the same side of the Moon.