The Water Cycle (for a 6-year-old)

Hi! Water is always moving around our planet. It goes in a circle called the water cycle. Let’s learn it in four easy steps.

1. Evaporation

   The sun warms water in rivers, lakes, puddles, and the ocean. Warm water turns into an invisible gas called water vapor and floats up into the sky. Think of a puddle slowly disappearing on a sunny day.

2. Condensation

   When the water vapor goes high in the sky, it cools down and turns back into tiny water drops. Those drops join together to make clouds. Clouds are like big fluffy water-keepers.

3. Precipitation

   When the clouds get heavy with lots of water drops, the water falls to the ground as rain, or if it is very cold, snow or hail. That falling water is called precipitation.

4. Collection

   The rain and snow land on the ground and collect in rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Some water soaks into the ground to help plants. Then the sun warms the water again, and the cycle starts over.

Easy Home Experiment: Make a Mini Water Cycle

You can watch the cycle happen with a simple experiment. Ask an adult for help.

• What you need: a clear zip-top plastic bag, a small cup or a little bit of water, tape, and a sunny window.
• What to do: Put a small amount of water in the bag or in the cup inside the bag. Seal the bag and tape it to a sunny window.
• What you will see: After a little while the water will evaporate, then you will see tiny drops on the inside of the bag (condensation). Later the drops may run down like tiny rain (precipitation).
• Safety note: Always do this with an adult and don’t put boiling water in the bag.

Fun Little Song

Sing to the tune of a simple rhyme:

"Up goes the sun, the puddles say goodbye, (evaporation)
Clouds in the sky are made of drops so high, (condensation)
Drops fall down to the ground, splash and play, (precipitation)
Into the river, lake, and ocean they stay." (collection)

Quick Questions to Think About

• Where does the water go when the sun warms it? (Up as vapor.)
• What do tiny drops in the sky become? (Clouds.)
• What do we call water that falls from the sky? (Rain, snow, or hail — precipitation.)

Great job! Now you know the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. Look outside and try to spot parts of the cycle!