Seasons and Months

There are four seasons in English each with three months. Here are the four seasons. 

Spring

March
April
May

Summer

June
July
August

Autumn / Fall

September
October
November

Winter

December
January
February

Notice that both autumn and fall are used in English. Both words are understood in British and American English. However, North Americans tend to use fall and autumn is used more often in British English. The months of the seasons are all capitalized.

However, the seasons are not capitalized:

Tim went skiing in February last winter.
Janice is going to fly to New York next autumn in October.
I love taking walks in spring, especially in May.
It's going to be a very hot summer this year. Make sure to have an air conditioner in August.

Time Expressions with Months and Seasons

In

"In" is used with months and seasons when speaking in general, but not for specific days.

I like skiing in winter.
Tom was born in April.
What do you enjoy in summer?

On

On is used with specific days during a month. Remember to capitalize individual months, but not individual seasons.

I'm celebrating my birthday on March 30th.
We're meeting with Tom on September 10th.

At

At is used with a time, or period of the year.

Many people enjoy spending time together at Christmas. 
You'll find lots of beautiful flowers at springtime. 

This / Next / Last

This + season / month refers to the next month or season.

I'm going to go skiing this January.
We're expecting snow this December.

Next + season / month refers to the net month or season.

I hope to see you next March.
We'll visit our friends next summer. 

Last + season / month refers to the past year.

We bought a new car last April.
Sharon took a skiing holiday last winter. 

In English, there are traditionally three months to each season. However, you will notice from the list above that the months don't match the official dates of the seasons. Here are the months of the year divided into seasons with the actual dates:

Spring - Spring goes from March 21st to June 20th. 

Summer - Summer runs from June 22nd to September 21st.

Fall - Fall falls between September 22nd and December 20th.

Winter - Winter descends from December 21st to March 20th.

The seasons in English usually refer to the Northern Hemisphere, but they are different in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Seasonal Activities

There are many traditional activities in the various seasons and months in English. Here are some of the most common activities associated with each season:

Spring

Flowers bloom
Trees sprout leaves
Grow different types of plants
Do spring cleaning
Celebrate Easter
There are April showers
March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb

Summer

Go on vacation (US)
Take a holiday (UK)
Have picnics
Wear shirts and t-shirts
Go hiking and backpacking
Go camping
Take a road trip
Wear sandals and flip flops
The dog days of summer are very hot!
People wear flip flops
Mow the lawn

Autumn / Fall

Drink apple cider
Harvest vegetables
Pick fruit
Dress up in a costumer for Halloween
Rake the leaves
Celebrate Thanksgiving

Winter

Go snowboarding
Ski
Go ice skating
Put on your boots and coats
Wear a scarf
Have a snowball fight
Shovel the snow
Celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza
Ring in the New Year's
Kiss your valentine
Singing carols

Months and Seasons Quiz

1. We often go skiing in _____, especially in February.
2. My wife and I do our _____ cleaning in March.
3. We ring in the New Year in _______.
4. We are going to take a vacation this summer in ______.
5. ______ comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
6. Tom was born in autumn _____ October 12.
7. Shelly shovels the snow in winter, especially in _____.
8. My son always rakes the leaves in _____.
9. Farmers all around the countryside harvest vegetables in _____.
10. It's ______ outside! Put on your coat and wear a scarf.
11. I turn on my air conditioner during _______.
12. Peter was born in _________ in the month of May.

1. We plant vegetables in the spring in the month of _____.
2. We go ice skating and skiing in the winter in the month of _____.
3. We take vacation in summer in the month of _____.

Quiz Answers

1. winter
2. spring
3. winter / January
4. July / August / September
5. Spring
6. on
7. January / February / December
8. autumn / fall
9. autumn / fall
10. winter
11. summer
12. spring
13. March / April / May
14. December / January / February 
15. June / July / August / September