When is the first day of summer?
June 21st, 2024 is the official start date of the summer. This day is also known as the summer solstice.
What is the summer solstice?
It happens each year when one of the Earth’s poles has its biggest tilt towards the Sun. This event occurs twice a year – once in the Northern Hemisphere and once in the Southern Hemisphere.
During the summer solstice, the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky, giving each respective hemisphere the longest day of the year.
Why does the Summer Solstice change each year?
Summer solstice 2024 will take place on June 21st, but in 2024 the summer solstice will take place on June 20th. For the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice can take place anywhere from the 20th to the 22nd of June.
This change is down to the format of the Gregorian calendar, which has 365 days in it. But as you know, we have leap years to account for the fact that the Earth actually circles the Sun in 365.242199 days. When we change the calendar to make sure the summer stays within the same months of the calendar, the date on which the sun reaches the northernmost part of the Earth may come back or forward a day. For more information, check out this wiki, What is the summer solstice?
Summer Solstice celebrations around the world
The summer solstice is and has been a significant time of year, for many cultures, for thousands of years. Many different festivals and rituals happen around the world to celebrate this time. In many European countries, the summer solstice falls in the middle of summer, often referred to as ‘midsummer’. Yet, in other countries, the end of June marks the first days of summer.
In Latvia, they celebrate ‘Jani’. It takes place on June 24th, and it’s a public holiday in Latvia. People of Latvian descent all around the world celebrate it. They honour ancient folk traditions relating to renewal and fertility.
There’s also ‘Tirgan’, an Iranian summer solstice celebration on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th of July. This event’s celebrations include splashing water, dancing, reciting poetry and eating traditional foods.
A more modern celebration of the summer solstice occurs in New York, where yogis flock to Times Square to practice. Why not try a sun salutation in summer solstice 2024?
Top summer solstice facts with handy resources
- ‘Solstice’ comes from Latin. It means ‘the Sun stands still’.
- One of the world’s greatest bonfires was part of a summer solstice celebration.
- Thousands of people in the UK gather at Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice.
- In Alaska, summer solstice celebrations include a midnight baseball game.
- If you track the Sun’s path on a solstice, it will look curved, unlike the straight line it makes on an equinox.
- It’s the longest overall day, but the earliest morning happens before the summer solstice, and the latest sunset takes place after.
Check our Summer Solstice categories and activities here:
- Summer Solstice Assembly Pack
- All About Summer Solstice Differentiated Fact File
- Summer Solstice Differentiated Worksheets
- Summer Solstice Reading Comprehension Activity
- Summer Solstice Page Borders Pack
- KS1 Summertime Synonyms Jigsaw Activity
- Litha (Summer Solstice) Greetings Cards
- Summer Solstice Fact File
- Summer Colouring Book Cover
- French: Summer Holiday Reading
- Spanish: Summer Holiday Reading
- Maths Summer Block Diagrams Mastery Activity Sheet
- Summer Holiday Maze Activity Worksheets
- Summer Solstice Art Activity
- Summer Tree Colour By Number
If you’d like to add some physical activity to your year 1 lessons as summer begins, check out the Twinkl Move PE – Year 1 Dance: The Seasons scheme of work. Or, head outside with your children and teach a fun outdoor sport such as rounders, netball or athletics. We also have an excellent blog post about Summer Solstice right here. Or, give your learners the chance to practice their reading comprehension with this Summer Solstice Pack from Twinkl NewsRoom.
If you have little ones you’re teaching all about the summer months and the joy that it brings, check out wonderful Summer Activities Category Page, suitable for EYFS. It has oodles of activities to choose from like science experiments, colouring pages, and more. We also have this amazing Summer Activity Pack, stuffed full of exciting activities to keep your kiddos entertained for hours!
Use Twinkl Originals to learn about the first day of summer
Twinkl Originals are diverse stories to inspire learning for children aged 0-11. They’re designed by children’s authors and teachers to encourage children to fall in love with reading, and explore educational topics within an entertaining context.
Seren’s Seasons follows Seren throughout the year, describing the changes that each season brings. You’ll see Seren playing in spring, summer, autumn and winter, and children can help her decide what clothes she’ll need for each climate.
Linking the summer solstice to the story will help children recognize how changes in the Earth’s position affect climate and temperatures – an important area of their education. View the full collection of teaching resources for ‘Seren’s Seasons’ here.
