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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Objects in the Sky – Write the Room Activity
Improve your students’ understanding of science vocabulary terms that relate to objects in the sky with this 'Write the Room’ activity.
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Celestial Bodies – Earth, Sun and Moon – Teaching Presentation
Learn information about the Earth, sun and moon while comparing the physical characteristics of each with this 22-slide teaching presentation.
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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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Snapshots of the Moon – Moon Tracking Booklet
Obverse the moon over the course of the month and chart observations with this moon phases mini-book.
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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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Planet Puzzle Match-Up Activity
Use your knowledge of the solar system to complete 8 different planet puzzles.
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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 Activity - Task Cards
Review information about the different moon phases with this set of 24 Phases of the Moon Activity task cards.
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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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Sun, Earth and Moon Task Cards
Review information about the Earth, Sun and moon with this set of task cards.
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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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Why Teach About Aboriginal Astronomy? Poster
An educational poster providing a rationale for teaching Australian children about Aboriginal astronomy.
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We Are Moving Project
An Earth and Space project that develops knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts, research skills and writing skills.
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Sun Observation Project
Use observations of the sun to describe patterns that can be predicted with this journal project.
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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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Day and Night Cycle Poster
Display information about Earth’s day and night cycle with this colourful science poster.
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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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The Nighttime Sky - Worksheet
Explore features of the nighttime sky with this one-page worksheet.
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The Daytime Sky - Worksheet
Explores features of the daytime sky with this one-page worksheet.
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Day and Night, Night and Day Worksheet
Compare day and night with this one-page worksheet.
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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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Day and Night Venn Diagram
Brainstorm the similarities and differences between day and night using this Venn Diagram worksheet with your students.
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Earth, Sun and Moon Pictures
Colourful pictures of the sun, Earth and moon.
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Earth, Sun and Moon – Vocabulary Cards and Puzzles
Reinforce science vocabulary with this set of word wall cards and vocabulary puzzles covering the Earth, sun and moon.
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Rotation and Revolution Bingo
Engage your students with a lively game of bingo while learning about Earth’s rotation and revolution.
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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 – Interactive Peg Cards
Practise identifying different objects in the sky and associated vocabulary terms with this set of 24 interactive clip cards.
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Objects in the Sky Flipbook
Describe and illustrate different objects found in the sky with this printable science flipbook.
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Objects in the Sky – Interactive Activity
Demonstrate an underestansding of the sun, moon, stars and clouds with this interactive activity.
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Objects in the Sky – Sorting Activity
Determine if statements about different objects in the sky are true or false with this sorting activity.
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Objects in the Sky – Vocabulary Cards and Writing Templates
Create a vocabulary and writing center with a word wall and writing templates that cover objects in the sky.