Year 3 Teaching Resources
Explore printable worksheets, digital activities, games and more Year 3 resources, all aligned to the Australian curriculum! The teacher-created resources have all been designed with primary teachers and students in mind to meet the special needs of children as they transition into the middle years of their primary school education.
Carefully curated and thoroughly reviewed by the expert teachers of the Teach Starter team to ensure they're classroom-ready, our Year 3 resources can save you lesson planning time this school year with editable and differentiated options at the ready.
Teach Starter’s Year 3 resources utilise a vast array of resource types and have something for every learning area. Here's just a taste of what you'll find for your classroom!
- Spelling words and English worksheets
- Fractions activities and Maths worksheets
- Social and emotional learning activities
- Narrative writing stimuli
- Language conventions practice
- And so much more!
Are you new to teaching Year 3? Here's a look at what this year of primary school is all about!
What Is Year 3 in Australia?
Year 3 sits right in the middle of primary school for most students in Australia as the fourth year of compulsory education.
How Old Are Kids in Year 3?
The exact age of students will vary slightly by state (and birthday!), but most children in your Year 3 class will be 8 to 9 years old.
What Do Students Learn in Year 3?
Year 3 is a big one for Australian students. Many will sit the NAPLAN tests, and more than a few will hit double digits before the year is through. This is a big year for Maths between the introduction of more complex fractions and formal multiplication, as well as even more skill-building in other learning areas.
Exactly what they're expected to learn will depend to some degree on the state or territory where you are teaching, but here's a look at what your students can expect to encounter in the key areas of the curriculum!
English
Year 3 students continue to develop their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in their English lessons. Reading will involve more complex texts, including longer novels, non-fiction texts, and poetry.
Students will also be expected to analyse these texts more deeply, examining themes, character development, and literary techniques. Comprehension skill-building will require deeper analysis of texts and drawing inferences from what is read.
While Year 2 instruction focuses on basic writing skills such as sentence structure and punctuation, this older group of students will move toward more advanced writing skills such as paragraphing, using descriptive language, and organising ideas in a logical way.
Grammar and spelling will also become a greater focus this year, with an emphasis on understanding and applying more complex grammar rules and spelling patterns.
Maths
Fractions feature front and centre of the Year 3 Maths curriculum. Students will learn to identify, compare, and order unit fractions (those being fractions with a numerator of 1), as well as use them in simple problem-solving contexts.
We already alluded to this being a big year for multiplication, and is it ever! Year 3 students learn the basic multiplication facts — such as 2 x 2 = 4 and 3 x 3 = 9 — and they begin to use these facts to solve multiplication and division problems. They also learn to interpret and create simple multiplication and division problems.
Students will have the chance to build upon their understanding of measurement concepts from Year 2, including length, mass, and capacity. They'll learn to measure and estimate using standard units, plus how to compare and order measurements.
Maths students will expand their knowledge of 2D shapes this year, and they will begin to learn about three-dimensional shapes and their properties.
Place value is still a big part of maths, of course. Year 3 students expand their understanding of place value to include numbers up to 10,000, and they learn to read, write, and compare four-digit numbers. They also learn to use place value to solve addition and subtraction problems.
Science
Science instruction in Year 3 is more focused on building a deeper understanding of scientific concepts and their applications, as compared to Year 2. It also emphasises the development of scientific inquiry skills that will help kids become more proficient in conducting scientific investigations and communicating their findings.
Students in Year 3 learn to ask questions, plan and conduct investigations, collect and record data, and communicate their findings as part of their development of science inquiry skills. They spend a portion of the year learning about the characteristics of living things, including plants and animals. Year 3 students will have the chance to explore the life cycles of plants and animals, as well as learning about the needs of living things and their habitats.
While they're learning about things that live on Earth, they're also learning about the planet itself, exploring geological features such as rocks, soil, and minerals. They also explore heat energy and how it can be transferred from one object to another.
Last, but certainly not least, Year 3 students learn about the properties and states of matter, including solids and liquids (gasses are explored later on in primary school).
Humanities and Social Sciences
Building on the foundation set in Year 2, Year 3 HAAS lessons build a deeper understanding of historical events and concepts, as well as exploring the social and economic systems that underpin Australian society.
Students learn about the historical events, people, and places that have shaped Australia's history. They explore the concept of change and continuity over time and learn to use historical sources to investigate the past. Students also study significant cultural events celebrated in our country and how they contribute to Australia's diversity and identity.
Geography instruction will guide students as they learn about the physical and cultural characteristics of places and regions. They'll learn more about the representation of Australia as states and territories, and as Countries/Places of First Nations Australians. Students will also begin exploring Australia's neighbours such as New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.
Civics instruction sees Year 3 students strengthening their understanding of what it means to live in a democratic society. They will draw upon their own personal experiences to examine why rules are important and to discuss how they can be active participants in the communities to which they belong.
Health and Physical Education
With their bodies rapidly changing, Year 3 students learn about the factors that influence their health and wellbeing, including the importance of good nutrition, hygiene, and sleep. They also learn about social and emotional health, including how to manage their feelings, develop positive relationships, and make safe and healthy choices.
In Year 3, there are a number of different types of safety on tap in lessons, including road safety, water safety, and personal safety. They develop an understanding of risk and learn strategies for staying safe in different situations.
Year 3 students also learn about the importance of being active and informed citizens in their community. They learn about the benefits of volunteering and begin to develop an understanding of the responsibilities and rights of individuals in society.
The Arts
In Year 3, students develop more advanced skills in drawing, painting, and other visual arts techniques. This includes studying the elements of art — such as line, shape, colour, and texture — and beginning to use these to create more complex artworks.
In music class, these children are learning all about musical notation and how to read and write simple music, while drama instruction explores different forms of drama, including role-playing, improvisation, and scripted performance. Students get the chance to learn about the elements of drama, such as character, plot, and setting, and begin to use these to create their own dramatic works.
- Plus Plan
Calming Watercolour Classroom Decor Bundle
Create a calming classroom with a watercolour decor bundle full of display boards, student awards and more printable and digital calming décor for your classroom!
- Plus Plan
Bar Model Poster Pack
Help your students solve problems using the four operations with a pack of printable strip diagram anchor charts.
- Plus Plan
Prediction in Reading Comprehension Task
Help students to engage with prediction during reading with this predictions in reading comprehension task.
- Plus Plan
Rounding PPT — "Rounding With Reasoning"
Use this engaging rounding PPT to teach your students to round with reasoning — not rules!
- Plus Plan
Laboratory Escape Room - States of Matter Game
Use an Escape Room-styled States of Matter Game to engage and excite your students about the forms and changes seen in matter.
- Free Plan
How Do Rocks Form? – Informative Text Sequencing Task
Help students learn about informative text structure and how rocks are formed with an engaging cut-and-paste sorting activity.
- Plus Plan
Year 3 Matter Worksheets - Properties & Changes
Reinforce your students' understanding of the properties of matter and changes in state with a set of printable differentiated Matter Worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Platypus Adaptations - Reading Passage & Questions
Learn about the physical and behavioural adaptations of the platypus with a set of printable reading comprehension worksheets for Years 3-5.
- Plus Plan
First Nations Instruments Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Use First Nations Instruments Reading Comprehension Worksheets to help your Year Two students learn about some traditional First Nations Australians musical instruments and their characteristic sounds.
- Plus Plan
Resilience Word Search
Use this resilience word search to immerse your students in the key vocabulary related to this important social-emotional skill.
- Plus Plan
Student Workbook Covers - Mindful Colouring Sheets
Practice mindfulness and create fun notebook covers with a pack of printable mindful colouring worksheets.
- Plus Plan
The Subtraction Algorithm – Teaching Presentation
Use this animated Instructional Slide Deck with your students when teaching how to use the subtraction algorithm with regrouping.
- Plus Plan
Life Cycle of a Sunflower Accordion Book
Get crafty and teach your students the stages in the life cycle of a sunflower with a fun accordion book science craft.
- Plus Plan
Growth Mindset Colouring Pages
Inspire creativity and encourage your students to think positively with a set of growth mindset colouring pages.
- Plus Plan
Addition and Subtraction Fact Families Teaching Presentation
A 19-page editable teaching presentation to use in the classroom when introducing addition and subtraction fact families.
- Plus Plan
Limericks for Kids - Poem Template
A 3-page limerick template and instructions for students to use when learning how to write a limerick.
- Plus Plan
Telling Time to the Nearest Five Minutes – Interactive Activities
Read different clock faces to the nearest 5 minutes with two difficulty levels for varied abilities.
- Plus Plan
Interpreting a Column Graph Worksheet
Interpret information from a column graph and answer questions with this worksheet.
- Plus Plan
The Lost Library Card – Whole Class Escape Game
Use inference and problem-solving skills to decipher the puzzles and uncover the hidden code.
- Plus Plan
Linking Addition and Subtraction Worksheet
Help students discover the link between addition and subtraction through structured, student‑friendly worksheets.
- Plus Plan
2D Shape Activity Sheets
A set of nine worksheets where students demonstrate their understanding of various 2D shapes.
- Plus Plan
Rubbish Bin Sorting Activity
Learn about recycling, composting and sustainable practices for waste management with a fun sorting activity.
- Plus Plan
Forms of Poetry Teaching Slides
Explore the different forms of poetry with your students using this comprehensive and age-appropriate slide deck.
- Plus Plan
Introduction to Readers' Theatre PowerPoint
An 11 slide PowerPoint template to use when introducing Readers' Theatre to your students.
- Plus Plan
Flags of Australia – Art Activity
A creative art activity to use when commemorating important events such as Australia Day, Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week.
- Plus Plan
Counting Coins Worksheet
A counting worksheet using Australian coins.
- Free Plan
Book Review Worksheet
A book review and summary card for comprehension learning.
- Plus Plan
Money Match-Up Activity (Australian Currency)
An activity to help students recognise Australian coins and their combined amounts.
- Plus Plan
Daily Problem-Solving - Multistep Word Problems for Year 2-3
Boost your students’ problem-solving skills with rigorous daily review of multi-step word problems for Years 2 and 3.
- Plus Plan
Blank Digital and Analogue Clock Worksheet
A blank analogue and digital worksheet to use when teaching students about time.
- Plus Plan
Drama Game Task Cards
A set of 17 activity cards with instructions for drama games.
- Plus Plan
Pattern Colouring In – Flower
Use colours to create a pattern using this sheet.