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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Picture Graphs Worksheet
Use this double-sided worksheet to help your students practise reading and evaluating a simple picture graph.
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100 More, 100 Less Worksheets - Cut and Paste Maths Activity
Use an understanding of place value to determine a number 100 more or less than a number with a pair of cut-and-paste maths worksheets.
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Plant Life Cycle Worksheet Pack
Help your students cement their understanding of the plant life cycle with a cut and paste worksheet.
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Subtraction within 20 - Colour-by-Number Worksheet
Reveal the mystery picture by solving the subtraction problems with a colour-by-number worksheet.
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Ordering Decimals on a Number Line — Year 4 Worksheet
Practice ordering decimals on a number line with this worksheet.
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Countries Neighbouring Australia - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Discover the location of some of the countries neighbouring Australia with this simple cut-and-paste worksheet.
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How We Use Natural Resources Worksheet
Explore the characteristics of natural resources and what makes them useful in products and materials with this worksheet.
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Find the Whole From a Percentage Worksheet
Practise how to find the whole from a percentage with this standard-practice worksheet.
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Map of Australia - Labelling Activity
Discover and label Australia's states, capital cities and key landmarks on this blank map.
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Is It Half? Fractions Colouring Sheet
Introduce your students to the concept of halves as well as equal and unequal parts with this fractions colouring sheet.
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Reading a Map Worksheet
Develop map skills with a map-reading worksheet.
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Which Letter? Worksheet - K or C
Practise identifying when to begin words with the letter K or the letter C with this printable two-page worksheet.
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Adding and Subtracting Decimals Year 6 Worksheet
Practise adding and subtracting decimals to the hundredths place with this worksheet.
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Halloween Themed Division Riddles - Worksheet
Have a bit of division fun with our riddle-based Halloween sheets!
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Measuring My Body – Length Worksheet
Explore linear measurement with an engaging collaborative activity where students measure different body parts and compare them.
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Elapsed Time – Worksheet
Practise elapsed time with analog and digital clocks.
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I Am Sorry – Poem and Discussion Questions
A poem to promote thoughtful discussion around issues of reconciliation on National Sorry Day.
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Digraph Handwriting - Worksheets
24 digraph worksheets that focus on handwriting and vocabulary activities.
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Colour By Number - Numbers 10-20
An engaging activity to consolidate your students’ recognition of two-digit numbers.
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Tracing and Drawing 2D Shapes Worksheet
A simple trace and draw worksheet for 2D shapes.
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Year 3 States of Matter - Nonfiction Reading Comprehension
Teach science and reading skills with a set of printable Year 3 Reading Worksheets about the three states of matter.
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Multiplication Wheel Worksheets
Strengthen times tables recall with these multiplication wheel worksheets, designed to help students build multiplication fact fluency through engaging, low-prep practice activities.
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The Wonders of the Human Body – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for an information report from the Year 6 magazine (Issue 2).
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10 Fascinating Facts About Beaches – Comprehension Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a magazine article about beaches.
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Using Cardinal Directions – Worksheet
A worksheet to practise using cardinal directions.
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Decodable Text Worksheets - Single Graphemes (Set 1)
A set of 10 decodable text worksheets for early readers.
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Adding Fractions with Common Denominators Worksheet
Use this adding fractions with common denominators worksheet to get your upper primary students practising this key maths skill.
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Acute, Right and Obtuse Angles – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Identify acute, right and obtuse angles with this cut-and-paste sorting worksheet.
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2D Shapes and 3D Objects - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Learn the difference between 2D shapes and 3D objects with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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The Three Little Pigs – Comprehension Worksheet
Develop your students' reading comprehension skills with a well-known fairy tale.
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Which Force Is That? Worksheet
Use this forces worksheet to teach your Year 4 students about the common forces of friction, buoyancy and gravity.
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Multiples of 5 — Fact Fluency Pack
Build multiples of 5 fact fluency with this engaging worksheet pack, designed to help teachers strengthen multiplication skills through a variety of purposeful and low-prep activities.