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Solar System Resources

34 solar system resources: 27 worksheets, 5 activities, 1 song and more. How teachers use these

Solar System Resources

34 solar system resources: 27 worksheets, 5 activities, 1 song and more. How teachers use these

Video
VideoPreschoolPlanets Song (Animated Music Video)

While watching the Planets Song (Animated Music Video), students learn about the order of planets in our solar system as well as cool facts about each planet.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeSolar System Diagram Worksheet

This solar system diagram worksheet has 4th graders label all eight planets in order from the Sun, then answer four questions about the diagram. An answer key is included, so review takes only minutes.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeDrawing Moon Phases Worksheet

This Drawing Moon Phases Worksheet gives 4th grade students eight circles to shade, one for every phase of the moon in order, plus two questions to explain what they see. An answer key is included.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeSeasons Causes Worksheet

This seasons causes worksheet asks 4th graders to read a tilted Earth diagram, name the season in the northern half, and sort real causes from common myths. An answer key with a model response is included.

Worksheet
Worksheet5th GradeSolar System Order Worksheet

Put the eight planets in order from the Sun, then use that order to answer three questions and explain why Neptune is colder than Mercury. This solar system order worksheet for 5th grade includes an answer key.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeOur Sun Worksheet

Our sun worksheet for 3rd grade: students sort eight facts into what the Sun is and what the Sun does, then find both inside four sentences. Answer key included for quick, no-prep science practice.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeEarth Planet Worksheet

Students use the Earth Planet Worksheet to read a six-fact file about our planet, complete word-bank sentences, and write full-sentence answers. Built for 3rd Grade with an answer key included.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeMercury Planet Worksheet

This Mercury Planet Worksheet gives 3rd graders a fact file about the first planet from the Sun, then four word-bank sentences and three written answers. Answer key included for fast, no-prep solar system practice.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeSaturn Planet Worksheet

A Saturn planet worksheet for 3rd grade that pairs a short Saturn fact file with word-bank sentences and two written questions. Answer key included, so students can check their own solar system facts.

Activity
Activity2nd GradeSolar System Activity

This solar system activity is a Space Race game where 2nd to 5th Grade students spin, write and color the eight planets in order. Includes trivia cards, practice and answer key.

Worksheet
Worksheet5th GradeWeight Gravity Worksheet

This Weight Gravity Worksheet asks 5th graders to multiply an Earth weight by each world's gravity factor, then explain their reasoning. A complete answer key is included, so decimal multiplication practice takes no prep.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeOuter Planets Worksheet

This outer planets worksheet has 4th graders read a short Fact File, order Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune from the Sun, and compare gas giants with ice giants. Answer key included.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeVenus Planet Worksheet

This Venus Planet Worksheet gives 3rd Grade students a short fact box, fill-in-the-blank sentences, bubble questions, and a written response, with an answer key included, so learning about Venus feels clear and doable.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeMars Planet Worksheet

This Mars planet worksheet hands 3rd graders a kid-friendly fact file, then asks them to name Mars facts and explain one in writing. Answer key included for confident, no-prep science practice.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeJupiter Planet Worksheet

This Jupiter Planet Worksheet gives 4th graders a short science passage, a word bank, and two written-response questions about the largest planet. Answer key included for fast, no-prep solar system practice.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeSolar System Worksheet

This Solar System Worksheet has 4th graders research asteroids, meteoroids, meteors, meteorites and comets, recording where each is found and one key fact. Answer key included.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeSolar System Crossword Puzzle

This Solar System Crossword Puzzle gives 3rd graders ten clues about the Sun, the planets, orbits, and telescopes to solve with no word bank. An answer key is included, so space vocabulary practice takes no prep.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeNeptune Planet Worksheet

Students read a short Neptune Fact File, then use it to finish five sentences and answer two written questions. This Neptune planet worksheet is built for 4th grade and includes a complete answer key.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeMoon Phases Cookies Worksheet

This Moon Phases Cookies Worksheet asks 4th graders to name all eight moon phases from drawings and explain what they see. An answer key is included, so it is ready to print and teach.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeInner Planets Worksheet

This inner planets worksheet has 4th graders read a Fact File, order Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars by distance from the Sun, and explain why Venus runs hotter. Answer key included for fast, no-prep science practice.

From our teachers' playbook

Blast off to the planets!

What do kids learn about the solar system?

Kids learn that our solar system is the sun and everything that orbits it: eight planets, their moons, and lots of smaller objects. They learn the planets in order, from Mercury closest to the sun out to Neptune, and that the inner planets are rocky while the outer planets are giant balls of gas and ice. They learn why we have day and night, how the moon changes shape, and that the sun is actually a star. The click moment is when kids learn how far apart the planets really are.

Our favorite ways to teach the solar system

Space is huge and hard to picture. These moves make it something kids can see and sing.

Sing the planets

Play a planets song and have kids hold up a planet card as it's named. By the end of the week, they'll know the order by heart. The song is the easiest memory trick for eight names.

Why it works: words set to a repeating melody are easier to recall than the same words spoken (Wallace, 1994).

Planets Song (Animated Music Video)Try it withPlanets Song (Animated Music Video)SongsOpen it →

Label the diagram

Kids label the planets on a solar system diagram, then color the inner planets one color and the outer planets another. Grouping them helps kids remember rocky vs. gas giants.

Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).

Solar System Diagram WorksheetTry it withSolar System Diagram WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Walk the solar system

Take a roll of toilet paper outside and mark each planet's distance from the sun. Kids are amazed at how far away Neptune is. A walking model shows scale better than any picture.

Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.

Solar System Order WorksheetTry it withSolar System Order WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Questions parents and teachers ask us

How many planets are in our solar system?

There are eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto is now called a dwarf planet.

How can kids remember the order of the planets?

Use a song or a silly sentence like "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles." The first letter of each word matches a planet.

What grade learns about the solar system?

Kids often start learning about the sun, moon and stars in kindergarten and 1st grade. The planets and their order are usually covered in 3rd through 5th grade.

Is the sun a star?

Yes! The sun is a star, and it's the closest one to Earth. It looks bigger and brighter than other stars because it's so much closer.

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