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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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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Planet Mini-Book Collection
Read and learn about the planets of our solar system with this collection of 8 mini-books.
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Planets of the Solar System Posters
Use this set of visually striking and informative posters about the planets of our solar system in your classroom.
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Earth's Rotation – Flipbook
Model and explain how Earth’s rotation causes the sun to move across the sky with this interactive flipbook.
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Earth and Space Vocabulary Posters
Display this set of 18 mini-posters in your classroom when learning about Earth and space vocabulary.
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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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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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All About Stars – Mini-Book
Learn about the stars in the night sky with this printable mini-book designed for year 1 and 2 students.
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Earth's Rotation and Revolution PowerPoint
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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Space Adventure Board Game
Review the order of the planets with a fun space adventure board game.
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Planets in Order – The Solar System
Show the planets in order with this beautifully designed printable science poster.
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Inner vs. Outer Planets – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Sort inner and outer solar system planets with this cut-and-paste science worksheet.
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Oreo® Moon Phases Worksheet
Explore moon phases with Oreos® in this tasty worksheet.
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Planet Research Templates
Explore the planets with these printable planet research templates to use with your students.
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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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Planet Facts Fan Booklet
Practise knowledge of the planets by creating this fun fan-style activity booklet.
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Which Planet Am I? Interactive Activity
Explore the planets of the solar system with this fun and engaging interactive activity.
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Orbital Period of Planets Poster and Worksheet
Learn about the time it takes each planet to orbit the sun with this poster and cut-and-paste worksheet for your students.
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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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Objects in the Sky – Worksheet Pack
Use this set of worksheets to practise identifying and labelling objects in the sky as well as describing the moon, stars, sun and clouds.
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Day and Night Booklet
Learn about the differences between night and day with this printable Day and Night Booklet.
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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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Sun, Earth and Moon Task Cards
Review information about the Earth, Sun and moon with this set of task cards.
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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 Pictures
Colourful pictures of the sun, Earth and moon.
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Printable Space Book - Leveled Reader
Read and learn about outer space with a printable space book for kids.
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Sun Facts Writing Template
Research, write and display information about the sun with this printable sun template.
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Objects in the Sky Bingo
Learn about different objects in the sky with a bingo game!
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Objects in the Sky – Mini Workbook
Observe, describe and illustrate different objects in the sky with this printable mini-workbook.
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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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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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Interplay of the Sun, Earth and Moon Poster
A poster showing the interplay of the Sun, Earth and Moon.