Here's a picture she can look at while you talk it out:

```
                    ☀️  THE SUN stays
                        right here in the middle
                            *
                            *
        ❄️ WINTER            *            ❄️ WINTER
     (top leans AWAY)      *         (top leans AWAY)
           \                *               /
            \               *              /
             \              *             /
              \             *            /
               \___________________________
              /     EARTH'S PATH around    \
             /         the sun              \
            /_______________________________\
                       (a big circle = 1 year)
                  *
              SUMMER HERE!
      (this spot leans TOWARD the sun)
```

And here's the key part — Earth is **tilted**, like a spinning top that never straightens up:

```
        Earth leaning TOWARD the sun
              ☀️
               \
                \
              ____
            / 24° \      → sunbeams hit this
           | tilt!  |       spot MORE DIRECTLY
            \____ /          = HOT = SUMMER 🌞

        Earth leaning AWAY from the sun
              ____
            / 24° \    ☀️
           | tilt!  |  /
            \____ /   /
                      → same sun, but beams hit
                        at a slant = WEAKER
                        = COLD = WINTER ❄️
```

**The trick for explaining it:** Earth doesn't get closer or farther from the sun — that's a common myth even adults believe! Earth is tilted, and it stays tilted the same direction all year (like a wobbling top).

- When **your part of the world leans toward** the sun → sunbeams hit you more **directly**, like a flashlight pointed straight at you → **summer**
- When **your part leans away** → the same beams hit you at a **slant**, spread out and weaker, like a flashlight tilted sideways → **winter**

**Fun demo:** shine a flashlight straight down on a table (bright, concentrated circle) vs. at a slant (pale, stretched-out oval). That's exactly what seasons are! Same flashlight, different angle.

One bonus "whoa" moment: when it's summer where you live, kids on the opposite side of the world have winter — at the exact same time. 🌏