Skip to content
Start My 3 Free Days $0 today · cancel anytime

3rd Grade History Worksheets

19 3rd grade history worksheets. Teacher favorites: Mayflower Compact Worksheet and Colonial America Worksheet. How teachers use these

3rd Grade History Worksheets

19 3rd grade history worksheets. Teacher favorites: Mayflower Compact Worksheet and Colonial America Worksheet. How teachers use these

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeMayflower Compact Worksheet

This Mayflower Compact worksheet gives 3rd graders a short passage about the 1620 voyage and the promise the men signed at Cape Cod, plus four questions and a writing prompt. An answer key is included.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeColonial America Worksheet

This Colonial America worksheet gives 3rd graders a short passage about Jamestown, the thirteen colonies, and colonial work, plus four questions and a writing prompt. An answer key is included.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeLandmarks Worksheet

This landmarks worksheet has 3rd graders sort eight famous landmarks into Natural and Man-Made columns, then name three more from clues. Answer key included for quick, no-prep geography practice.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradePatriotic Symbols Worksheet

This patriotic symbols worksheet teaches 3rd grade students about the flag, bald eagle, Liberty Bell, Great Seal, and Uncle Sam, with an answer key included to build civic pride.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradePeople in US History Worksheet

This People in US History Worksheet asks 3rd graders to match five famous Americans to their contributions and then explain one in writing. Answer key included for quick, no-prep social studies practice.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeBenjamin Franklin Crossword Puzzle

This Benjamin Franklin crossword puzzle worksheet lets 3rd grade students review the life and inventions of Ben Franklin, with a short writing question and an answer key for easy checking.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeIgnacio Anaya Garcia Inventor of Nachos Worksheet

This Ignacio Anaya Garcia Inventor of Nachos Worksheet gives 3rd graders a true 230-word biography, four comprehension questions, and a written response. An answer key is included, so it is ready to print and teach.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeNational Parks Report Worksheet

This National Parks Report Worksheet gives 3rd graders a 224-word passage on what national parks are and how they began, plus four questions and a written response. Answer key included.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeEvents in US History Worksheet

This Events in US History Worksheet has 3rd graders match five landmark American events to their descriptions, place them on a timeline, and explain why one mattered. Answer key included for fast, no-prep social studies practice.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeNational Parks Matching Worksheet

This national parks matching worksheet has 3rd grade students link six famous parks to their states and answer three clues. An answer key is included, so practice stays quick and easy to check.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeAmerican Industrial Revolution Worksheet

This American Industrial Revolution Worksheet gives 3rd grade readers a short true passage about Samuel Slater's mill, four questions, a written response and an answer key, so main idea practice feels like real history.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeSequence of Events Cycle Graphic Organizer

This sequence of events cycle graphic organizer has 3rd grade students order five pioneer farm events by clue words. An answer key is included to make checking quick and easy.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeGeorge Washington Word Search Worksheet

This George Washington word search worksheet lets 3rd graders find six Presidents' Day words and match them to their meanings, with an answer key included for fast, easy checking.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeDavy Crockett - Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Davy Crockett Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 3rd Grade students a true frontier biography, four multiple choice questions, and one written response that asks for two details from the text. An answer key is included.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeHistorical Events Order of Events Worksheet

This historical events order of events worksheet gives 3rd graders five real events to place in order and four more to label ancient or modern. An answer key is included, so checking work takes only seconds.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeHistorical Items Worksheet

This historical items worksheet asks 3rd graders to match six clues to old tools like a butter churn and quill pen, then explain why museums save them. An answer key is included.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeDonald Trump Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Donald Trump Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 3rd graders a short, factual biography and seven text-based questions. An answer key is included, so students can build nonfiction reading skills with almost no prep.

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeGeorge Washington Story Worksheet

This George Washington Story Worksheet gives 3rd graders a true, kid-friendly passage about our first president plus six questions. A full answer key is included, so social studies reading practice takes no prep at all.

From our teachers' playbook

Then and now, past to present

What do 3rd graders learn about history?

Third graders learn how communities and the country have changed over time. They put events in order on a timeline, compare life then and now (candles versus light bulbs, horses versus cars), and meet important people like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. They study American symbols and landmarks, like the flag and the Statue of Liberty, and early history such as the Pilgrims and the colonies. The click moment is when a child holds an old photo and says, "Wait, they didn't have phones?"

Our favorite ways to teach history in 3rd grade

History is a story, and third graders love a good story. These moves bring it to life.

Build a timeline

Clip index cards to a string across the room, one event per card. Kids add events as they learn them and argue about where each belongs. A physical timeline makes "before" and "after" easy to see.

Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.

Sequence of Events Cycle Graphic OrganizerTry it withSequence of Events Cycle Graphic OrganizerWorksheetsOpen it →

Symbols up close

Show pictures of the flag, the bald eagle and the Liberty Bell and ask, "What does this stand for?" Kids write one fact on a sticky note for each. Pictures are a great hook into the history behind them.

Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).

Patriotic Symbols WorksheetTry it withPatriotic Symbols WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Quick history check

End each lesson with three quick questions about who, when and why. Retrieving facts a little every day keeps history from turning into one big blur.

Why it works: a big review of study methods ranked quick self-quizzing among the most powerful ways to remember (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).

Events in US History WorksheetTry it withEvents in US History WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Questions teachers and parents ask about 3rd grade history

What history do 3rd graders learn?

Most third graders study how communities change over time, important Americans, national symbols and landmarks, and early American history like the Pilgrims and the colonies. Topics vary by state.

How do I make history interesting for kids?

Tell it as a story with real people and problems. Compare life then and now, look at old photos and objects, and let kids act out important moments.

How do I teach timelines to 3rd graders?

Start with your child's own life: born, first steps, started school. Then move to historical events. Seeing their own timeline makes the idea of order easy to understand.

What are good history projects for 3rd grade?

Interviewing a grandparent about life when they were young, researching a local landmark or making a then-and-now poster are all great choices.