I can't draw pictures, but here's a sketch you can copy, plus a simple explanation she can follow.

```
   JUNE (summer in the north)

        N  (north tilts toward the Sun)
        ●  ───────────────►  sunlight hits
        S                    the north straight on

   ☀ SUN

   DECEMBER (winter in the north)

        N  (north tilts away from the Sun)
        ●  ───────────────►  sunlight hits
        S                    the north at a slant
```

**The explanation:** Earth is tilted, like a spinning top that's leaning over. As it travels around the Sun, the tilt always points the same direction. For half the year the top half leans toward the Sun, so sunlight hits it more directly and the days are longer and warmer. That's summer. Six months later, the same half leans away, so the sunlight is spread out and weaker. That's winter.

**Common kid question:** "Isn't Earth closer to the Sun in summer?" Actually, Earth is slightly *closer* to the Sun in January, during northern winter. The tilt matters much more than distance.

**Hands-on version:** Put a lamp in a dark room to be the Sun. Take a ball or globe, tilt it, and walk it in a circle around the lamp, keeping the tilt pointing the same way. Shine a flashlight on the top half when it leans toward the lamp, then on the bottom half. She'll see the light spread out and get dimmer on the slanted side.