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.
- Free Plan
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind: Find Your Sport – Comprehension Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a comic about the importance of physical activity to a healthy lifestyle.
- Free Plan
2-Digit by 1-Digit Multiplication Worksheet
A worksheet for students to practise multiplying 2-digit numbers by 1-digit.
- Plus Plan
Noun Group Tangle – Worksheet
A worksheet that focuses on nouns combining with adjectives to create noun groups.
- Free Plan
Circuit Diagrams Worksheet
A worksheet that explores how to read and write circuit diagrams.
- Plus Plan
Self Portrait Worksheet
A worksheet to use as a Harmony Day resource for all grades.
- Plus Plan
Comprehension - Family Day At The Beach
A comprehension activity using a recount for lower grades.
- Plus Plan
Location and Transformation Worksheets - Year 4
4 location and transformation worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
- Plus Plan
Penny's Place Value Puzzle
A worksheet to use to consolidate student understanding of place value to the hundreds.
- Plus Plan
3-Digit Abacus Worksheets
A set of three worksheets for students to use when using an abacus to model and represent 3-digit numbers.
- Free Plan
Layers of the Earth Worksheet
A worksheet to use when exploring the layers inside the Earth.
- Plus Plan
Year 5 Reading Worksheets - The Business of Bees
Read and learn about bees, pollination and honey production with a reading comprehension passage and worksheet pack.
- Plus Plan
Fast Finishers' Folder - Lower Primary
Twenty-one activities for your fast finishers.
- Plus Plan
Converting Time Worksheet - 12 to 24 Hour Time
Review how to convert 12-hour to 24 hour time with a printable converting time worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Using Prepositions Worksheet Pack
Download this prepositions worksheet set, featuring five interactive cut-and-paste activities designed to reinforce understanding of positional language.
- Plus Plan
Making Predictions Reading Comprehension Worksheet Pack
Improve students' reading comprehension with our Making Predictions Reading Comprehension Worksheet Pack, which features engaging short stories.
- Plus Plan
Changing Improper Fractions to Mixed Numbers Worksheet Set
Give students this changing improper fractions to mixed numbers worksheet set to build their understanding through shading models.
- Plus Plan
Let's Get Ready to Rock! – Reading Comprehension Worksheet
Read and discover the three types of rock with a set of Year 3 Reading Comprehension Worksheets.
- Plus Plan
States of Matter Maze Worksheets
Practise identifying examples of solids, liquids, and gases with a set of printable States of Matter Maze Worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Measuring Length Drawing Challenge Worksheeets
Make learning to use a centimetre ruler fun with an engaging set of Measurement Drawing Challenge Worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Length Word Problems - Year 3 Maths Worksheet
Help your students relate addition and subtraction with length using a printable Measurement Word Problems Worksheet for Year 3.
- Plus Plan
Year 3 Measurement Test - Measuring Length
Assess your Year 3 students' ability to measure length with a Year 3 Measuring Length Test.
- Plus Plan
Paragraph Editing - Quotation Marks Worksheets
Practise using quotation marks to signify dialogue in text with a set of printable Paragraph Editing Worksheets.
- Free Plan
Verb Tense Worksheet
Provide students with additional verb tense practice with a past, present, and future tense worksheet.
- Plus Plan
CM & MM Measurement Worksheets - Year 3
Practise using a ruler to measure in centimetres and millimetres with a pair of printable measurement worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Measuring Length with Informal Units Worksheets
A worksheet to use when learning about measuring length using informal units.
- Plus Plan
Kangaroo Adaptations – Science and Literacy Worksheets
Discover unique kangaroo adaptations with a printable Reading comprehension worksheet pack.
- Plus Plan
What Day Is It? Calendar Math Worksheet
Engage students in daily maths review lessons with a printable ‘What Day Is It’ Calendar Maths Worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Ordering Days of the Week Worksheets
Practise ordering weekdays with a set of printable Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow - Days of the Week Worksheets.
- Free Plan
Paired Passage Worksheets-Mammals vs. Reptiles
Compare mammals vs. reptiles and add to your reading instruction with leveled nonfiction, compare and contrast passages, and worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Year 3 Sources of Heat Worksheet Pack
Learn all about different thermal energy sources with this set of heat worksheets.
- Free Plan
My Goal Grid - Goal Setting Template
Set goals for the new school year with a printable goal-setting template for kids.
- Plus Plan
Match the Arrays Worksheet Pack
Give your students practise matching arrays and multiplication facts with these math worksheets for years 2 and 3.