Preview draft. Activities have not been tested with caregivers.
Science · The activity desk
Moon phase picture sequence
Compare how the Moon's sunlit portion appears to change.
Let's play →
A little plan for play
Open interactive activity →Add to play journal →What you need
Paper and a large child-appropriate crayon.
Age: 3–5 years; choose for the individual child.
Let's make it happen
- Draw four circles in a row and label them new, first quarter, full, and last quarter.
- Leave the new Moon circle dark, show opposite halves bright in the two quarter circles, and show the full Moon circle bright.
- Explain that as the Moon orbits Earth, we see different amounts of its sunlit half. These pictures are a simplified sequence.
Adult stays beside the child; never look directly at the Sun.