Worksheets for Teachers
Did someone say printable worksheets? From year 1 maths worksheets to reading comprehension worksheets to printables for kindergarten and beyond, our collection of teacher-created teaching tools is ready to make learning fun and engaging for your students in all subject areas and on all primary year levels.
Explore printable activities, free worksheets, homework sheets and more — all aligned to the Australian curriculum and all created by teachers, for teachers just like you!
Teach Starter worksheets undergo a careful review process by our expert teacher team to ensure they're ready for your lesson plans ... and your students! Best of all, you know each printable is designed with the goal of turning on that lightbulb over your students' heads and producing more of those 'aha!' moments in the classroom!
Curious about how to make worksheets more engaging? Or maybe you're just wondering how worksheets became a tool used in schools? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
Why Do Teachers Use Worksheets?
Worksheets are an important part of any teacher's toolkit — and yes, we say part because we believe in the importance of hands-on learning too (explore our full collection for plenty of student-led activities!) — but do you ever wonder how they ended up being so ubiquitous?
It was back in the mid-20th century that worksheets started to take hold in education.
The concept of individualised instruction was gaining traction, and educators recognised the need to tailor learning experiences to students' unique abilities, interests and learning styles.
Worksheets started to emerge because they were a means to provide students with both individualised practice and reinforcement of skills. Psychologists like Jean Piaget (you may know him best for his theories on children's cognitive development?) played a role here. The Swiss psychologist suggested teachers should be providing their students with materials that would advance their thinking, and worksheets offer a means for students to assess their own learning.
The real win for worksheets, however, was the invention of the photocopy machine! It made it easy for this supplemental tool to spread like wildfire!
How Do You Make Worksheets Engaging?
You already know educational printables are a beneficial learning tool. They enable students to work independently, practising and applying the concepts they've been learning in your classroom.
So how do you keep them from putting your students in boxes?
At Teach Starter, our worksheets aren't 'just worksheets.' Our expert teacher team works every day to create the tools you need to create impactful classroom experiences. That means our teacher team creates our school worksheets specifically to engage students with eye-catching graphics and creative formats. Here are some of their tips to ensure worksheets are used effectively in the classroom — and truly help engage your students!
- Use worksheets as just part of your toolbox. These are great tools to support classroom instruction and provide independent practise, and they should be balanced with a mix of other teaching tools!
- Mix up your worksheet types. Teach Starter's cut-and-paste worksheets, for example, add an interactive element to help hold students' attention.
- Encourage students to doodle. Doodle notes have taken education by storm in recent years as the visual note-taking method has been proven to improve students' focus and memory. Apply those benefits to your worksheets, and you may be surprised by how it pulls kids' attention to the page!
- Add plastic sleeves. Slipping worksheets into plastic sleeves and allow students to use wipe-away pens on the sleeves is a good way to extend the life of a worksheet — and it adds and element of fun for kids who love the chance to use pens!
- Use digital worksheets. Allow students to fill out their worksheets on classroom tablets as a means to add an extra level of engagement.
It's Not Just a Worksheet
The key to effective worksheets comes down to how you use them — a balanced approach to education combines worksheets with other instructional strategies — from hands-on activities to group work to project-based learning.
So what can you get from worksheets?
Consider this — early years students can work on their fine motor skills with our mini books, cut-and-paste worksheets and more while their upper years peers get pulled into the fun of vocabulary fun with word searches and crossword puzzle worksheets. Printable puzzles that engage students in the form of a brain game and colour by worksheets that bring art elements into maths and reading.
Worksheets also provide the opportunity for formative assessment and give your students a chance to practice problem-solving while they work independently.
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Number Lines – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Cut and paste to complete the number lines with differentiated number line worksheets.
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Factor Pairs – Worksheet
Find factor pairs to 100 with this maths worksheet.
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Living or Non-living? Colour by Code Worksheet
Practise identifying living and non-living things with this colour-by-code worksheet.
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Comparing and Ordering Decimals Worksheet for Year 5
Practise using number lines to compare and order decimals with this worksheet.
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Interpreting a Column Graph Worksheet
Interpret information from a column graph and answer questions with this worksheet.
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Crazy Boxes – 1 to 12 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 1 to 12 times tables.
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Fast Finishers' Folder - Upper Primary
Twenty-one activities for your fast finishers.
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Personal Recount Sequencing Activity - My Broken Leg
A worksheet to use in the classroom when learning the sequence of a personal recount.
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Daily Maths Word Problems - Year 6 (Worksheets)
A set of 20 problem-solving questions suited to year 6 students.
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Year 5 Fractions and Decimals Worksheets
Use these fractions and decimals worksheets in your Year 5 classroom for independent practice or as an assessment activity.
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In My Eyes (Poem) - Comprehension
A comprehension activity using poetry.
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Frog in a Pond - Colour by Numbers
Colour by numbers is a fun and easy way to help students recognise digits.
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Lowest Common Multiple Worksheet
Share this lowest common multiple worksheet with your students to give them varied practice with this foundational concept.
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Writing Compound-Complex Sentences Worksheet
Use a Compound-Complex Sentences Worksheet to help your upper primary students learn to use advanced sentence structures in their writing.
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Number Patterns Year 1 Worksheet Set
Share this number patterns year 1 worksheet set with your students to introduce them to early concepts of algebra.
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Build and Write a Sentence – Worksheets
Practise building and writing sentences with a set of printable Build and Write a Sentence Worksheets.
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Elkonin Boxes - Word Shapes Worksheets - Year 1
Build early phonics skills with our printable Phonics-Based Elkonin Boxes Word Shapes Worksheets.
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Creative Writing Prompt Choice Boards - Lower Primary
Encourage your little learners to write with fun writing prompts for years 1 and 2.
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Student Interest Survey Pack
Use a Student Interest Survey to get to know your new students at the beginning of the school year.
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End of Year Activity Booklet - Middle Years
An activity booklet to use at the end of the year.
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Fishing Odd or Even Numbers Worksheets
Go fishing for odd and even numbers with your students using this set of three worksheets.
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Adding and Subtracting Integers on Number Lines - Worksheet
Help your students learn to add and subtract integers on a number line with a printable adding and subtracting integers worksheet.
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World Mapping Workbook
Develop mapping skills by plotting key features and locations onto a map of the world.
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Daily Vocabulary Dive - Synonyms and Antonyms Worksheet
Give your students a daily dose of synonym and antonym review with a 5-day vocabulary warm-up worksheet.
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Valentine's Mystery Picture - Multiplication Colour By Number Worksheet
Have fun with your Valentine’s Day Maths with this multiplication mystery picture worksheet.
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Tracing and Drawing 2D Shapes Worksheet
A simple trace and draw worksheet for 2D shapes.
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Colour by 2D Shape (Basic and Complex Shapes)
A detailed set of colour by shape activities.
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Living or Non-Living? Worksheet
Explore living and non-living thing and develop classification skills with a printable Living or Nonliving Worksheet.
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Growth Mindset Worksheets
A set of worksheets to use when teaching students about Growth Mindsets.
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Personal Recount Sequencing Activity - Police Car Ride
A worksheet to use in the classroom when learning the sequence of a personal recount.
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Daily Maths Word Problems - Year 4 (Worksheets)
A set of 20 problem-solving questions suited to year 4 students.
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Split Class/Fast Finisher Booklet - Upper Years
A booklet to use when classes are split or as fast finisher activities.