Solar System Teaching Resources
Rocket your students into your next space lesson with solar system projects and diagrams, activities designed around the planets and moon phases, and hundreds more teaching resources created by primary teachers for your classroom!
Aligned with Australian science standards, each solar system-focused teacher resource has undergone the Teach Starter teacher team's thorough review process to ensure it's ready to use in your classroom.
This collection of curriculum-aligned teaching resources makes teaching about the planets, sun, moon, and the rest of the galaxy easy with editable templates that can be easily adapted to differentiate instruction for your individual students.
New to this part of the science curriculum or just looking for fresh ideas to inspire kids about space? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is the Solar System? A Kid-Friendly Definition
To start you off, our teacher team has created a definition you can use in the classroom to introduce the solar system to your students.
The solar system is made up of a single star with planets orbiting around it.
The solar system that we call home has the sun at the center — yes, the sun is a star! — and it includes planet Earth, plus other planets, moons, asteroids, comets and other outer space objects.
The sun, which is seen at left, is the only star in our solar system.
Solar System vs. Galaxy — What's the Difference?
If a solar system is made up of the sun and the planets, what's a galaxy?
The easiest way to explain the difference between these two is to tell your class that a galaxy is a gigantic group of solar systems, all gathered together.
Kids can think of the galaxy as a big, extended family of solar systems.
Earth is located in the Milky Way galaxy, which includes a huge number of different solar systems — more than 3000!
How Many Planets Are in Our Solar System?
The solar system that we call home as residents of Earth is made up of eight planets — Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — plus one dwarf planet, Pluto!
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If I Could Create My Own Planet Craft Template
Explore planets and let your students get creative by developing their own planet.
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Mindfulness Planet Colouring Pages
Get mindful with this set of planet-themed mindful colouring sheets.
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Moon Phases – Cut and Paste Activity
Create a diagram showing the different moon phases and their names with this cut-and-paste activity sheet.
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Objects in the Sky – Teaching Presentation
Teach your students about the moon, sun, stars and clouds with this 24-slide teaching presentation.
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Planets of Our Solar System – Teaching Slides
Explore information about the planets in our solar system and their position in relation to the Sun.
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Space - Word Wall Vocabulary
Use these space vocabulary words and space terms to unlock the solar system for your elementary students as they learn about space, the solar system, and the world far beyond your school.
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Planets Escape Room Activity
Navigate facts about different planets with this fun and engaging escape room style activity with your students.
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The Solar System – Cut and Paste Activity
Use this cut-and-paste activity to make a mini solar system book.
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Interplay of the Sun, Earth and Moon Poster
A poster showing the interplay of the Sun, Earth and Moon.
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Planet Fact File Pack with Comprehension Worksheets
Learn the facts of each of the planets in our solar system with these planet fact file sheets and accompanying comprehension worksheets.
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Moon Phases Diagram
Learn the phases of the moon in the southern hemisphere with this set of two posters.
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The Solar System to Scale
Display information about the order, scale and the diameter of the planets with this colourful science poster.
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Earth, Sun and Moon – Poster Pack
Display these posters with information about the Earth, Sun and moon in your science classroom.
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Phases of the Moon Worksheet for Year 2
Challenge year 2 students to label the phases of the moon as they appear in the southern hemisphere with this printable science worksheet.
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Earth's Rotation and Revolution – Teaching Presentation
Explore the difference between rotation and revolution while learning about the day and night cycle, what causes the seasons to change and more with this teaching presentation.
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Free Planet Colouring Pages
Use these black and white planet templates as colouring in pages for your students.
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Day and Night Cycle Poster
Display information about Earth’s day and night cycle with this colourful science poster.
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Rotation vs. Revolution Poster Set
Display information in your classroom about the differences between rotation and revolution with this poster set.
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Planets Collaborative Colouring Display
Combine colouring with awareness of the planets and the solar system with this collaborative colouring sheet.
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Moon Phases – Poster Set
Learn about the lunar cycle with this this set of posters showing the different phases of the moon.
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Phases of the Moon – Comprehension Worksheet
Analyse different moon phases and how their visual appearances change over time with this reading comprehension worksheet.
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How to Make a Sundial - Template
Print this sundial template, and follow the instructions to make a sundial with your students when exploring concepts of time.
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The Relative Distance From the Sun to Earth
Scaled images of the sun and Earth to use when exploring relative size and distance.
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Earth, Sun and Moon – Comprehension Worksheet
Read about and compare physical characteristics of the Eath, sun and moon with this reading comprehension sheet.
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Mars vs. Earth - Differentiated Paired Passage Worksheets
Learn about the planets with differentiated compare and contrast passages, activities and writing opportunities.
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Movement of the Sun, Earth and Moon Model
Demonstrate the interplay and movements of the sun, Earth and moon with this hands-on model.
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Our Solar System Cloze Worksheet
Our Solar System cloze worksheet for your students to complete.
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Solar System Craft - Mobile of the Solar System
Use this printable solar system craft when learning about the planets and their position in relation to the Sun.
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Day and Night – Worksheet
Encourage your students to illustrate the day and night cycle with this free worksheet.
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Individual Planet Posters
Use this set of posters with your space unit to teach about the individual planets.
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Sun, Earth and Moon Task Cards
Review information about the Earth, Sun and moon with this set of task cards.
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Why Teach About Aboriginal Astronomy? Poster
An educational poster providing a rationale for teaching Australian children about Aboriginal astronomy.