Looking for Printable Fossil Pictures?

Bring your fossil lesson to life with a set of printable fossil pictures flashcards explicitly designed for third and fourth-grade learners! These high-quality, age-appropriate cards feature real-world examples of common fossil pictures to help students visually connect vocabulary words and fossil types to what they might see in nature or at a museum.

Fossils Picture Flash Cards

This resource includes a collection of 36 fossils picture flash cards that represent a variety of the different kinds of fossils found around the world. From cast and mold fossils to plant imprints and dinosaur bones, each card includes a clear fossil image for students to investigate. Use these cards during science centers, small group lessons, or as a review tool during a fossil unit.

Types of fossils included:

• Cast Fossils
• Mold Fossils
• Imprint Fossils
• Trace Fossils
• True Form Fossils
• Petrified Fossils

These fossil flashcards are perfect for helping students easily identify, compare, and classify different types of fossils.

A Variety Of Fossil Lesson Ideas, Too!

We have also included a printable teacher guide that includes a variety of fossil activities that can be completed using these cards, such as:

• Fossil Detective – Give each student or small group a fossil flash card and a magnifying glass. Ask them to observe the image closely and write or draw at least three things they notice, such as texture, shape, size, or any visible features. Then, they make a hypothesis about what the fossil might be (e.g., a shell, leaf, or footprint) and what kind of organism it came from.
• Fossil Sorting – Provide students with a large table or floor space to sort cards into categories: body fossils (like bones or teeth) and trace fossils (like footprints or burrows). Follow up with a class discussion about how these two fossil types form and what they tell us.
• Fossil Comparisons – Students choose two fossil cards and complete a Venn diagram. They identify similarities and differences between the fossils, such as the type of organism, pattern, texture, or location it might have been found. Encourage them to use descriptive language like “spiral-shaped” or “impression of leaves.”

Download Your Fossil Picture Cards

Getting started is easy! Click to download the printable PDF version of your fossil picture cards and begin exploring the fascinating world of fossils with your class today. Simply print, cut, and laminate the cards for long-lasting use in science centers, word walls, or interactive notebooks.

This resource is available in both full-color and black-and-white formats to fit your classroom printing needs.

Resources to Pair With These Pictures of Fossils

Looking to build a full fossil lesson plan? Pair these pictures of fossils with other printable resources from our Science Collection. Make sure you check these out before you go.

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Fossils Science Project Pack

Use a printable fossils science project pack to give your students choices on how to show their knowledge of the types of fossils and how they are created.

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Use our fossil foldable template to help your students sequence the steps it takes to form a fossil.

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Grab a printable Texas Fossils Guidebook for kids to introduce your students to some of the most common Texas Fossils.