We have been studying a space unit in our preschool classes, and today we were learning about how the planets move in our solar system. We wanted a fun, hands-on way to teach our little learners about how the planets orbit around the sun. Check out the details of the fun space science activity we came up with below. Be sure to watch the video at the end of this post to see it in action!

You will need:

A picture of the solar system to help show the orbits
A “sun” on a large popsicle stick

Instructions:

Create a large “sun” out of construction paper and a popsicle stick.
Show the students a picture of the solar system. Ask them what they notice about the planets and the sun.
Talk about how the planets orbit in a circular shape around the sun. Talk about what the word “orbit” means (to travel around the sun).
Have each student take a turn being the sun. All of the other students can walk around the sun in a circle to show how the planets orbit around it. You can sing a silly song to help the students remember the word “orbit” if you’d like!

Video

Try this interactive science demo with your students the next time you are learning about space. It is a great way to practice new vocabulary and science concepts, and get their little bodies moving, too. I know they’ll love it!