Solar System Teaching Resources
Rocket your students into your next space lesson with solar system projects and diagrams, activities designed around the planets and moon phases, and hundreds more teaching resources created by teachers for your classroom!
Aligned with NGSS curriculum standards, each solar system-focused teacher resource has undergone the Teach Starter teacher team's thorough review process to ensure it's ready to use in your classroom.
This collection of curriculum-aligned teaching resources makes teaching about the planets, sun, moon, and the rest of the galaxy easy with editable templates that can be easily adapted to differentiate instruction for your individual students.
New to this part of the science curriculum or just looking for fresh ideas to inspire kids about space? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a definition of solar system to share with students and a look at the difference between this space concept and galaxies.
What Is the Solar System? A Kid-Friendly Definition
To start you off, our teacher team has created a definition you can use in the classroom to introduce the solar system to your students.
The solar system is made up of a single star with planets rotating around it.
The solar system that we call home has the sun at the center — yes, the sun is a star! — and it includes planet Earth, plus other planets, moons, asteroids, comets and other outer space objects.
The sun, which is seen at left, is the only star in our solar system.
Solar System vs. Galaxy — What's the Difference?
If a solar system is comprised of the sun and the planets, what's a galaxy?
The easiest way to explain the difference between these two is to tell your class that a galaxy is a gigantic group of solar systems, all gathered together.
Kids can think of the galaxy as a big, extended family of solar systems.
Earth is located in the Milky Way galaxy, which includes a huge number of different solar systems — more than 3,000!
How Many Planets Are in Our Solar System?
The solar system that we call home as residents of Earth is made up of eight planets — Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — plus one dwarf planet, Pluto!
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Moon Phases – Cut and Paste Activity
Create a diagram showing the different moon phases and their names with this cut-and-paste activity sheet.
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If I Could Create My Own Planet Craft Template
Explore planets and let your students get creative by developing their own planet.
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Phases of the Moon – Comprehension Worksheet
Analyze different moon phases and how their visual appearances change over time with this reading comprehension worksheet.
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Free Planet Coloring Pages
Use these black and white planet templates as coloring pages for your students.
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Objects in the Sky – Worksheet Pack
Use this set of worksheets to practice identifying and labeling objects in the sky as well as describing the moon, stars, sun, and clouds.
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Phases of the Moon – Worksheet
Label the phases of the moon as they appear in the northern hemisphere with this printable science worksheet.
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Phases of the Moon Bulletin Board Kit
Display information about the phases of this moon with an out-of-this-world bulletin board display.
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Inner vs. Outer Planets – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Sort inner and outer planets with this cut-and-paste science worksheet.
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Design a Planet Project
Explore the different planets during this design your own planet project for kids.
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Objects in the Sky – Writing Prompts
Describe objects in the sky such as the clouds, moon, and sun with this set of 8 writing prompts.
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The Solar System - Planets in Order
Show the planets in order with this beautifully designed printable science poster.
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Mars vs. Earth - Differentiated Paired Passage Worksheets
Learn about the planets with differentiated compare and contrast passages, activities, and writing opportunities.
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Planets Flipbook
Discover each of the planets of the solar system with this engaging flip book template.
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Moon Phases – Task Cards
Review information about the different moon phases with this set of 24 task cards.
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The Nighttime Sky - Worksheet
Explore features of the nighttime sky with this one-page worksheet.
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Individual Planet Posters
Use this set of posters with your space unit when teaching the individual planets.
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Movement of the Sun, Earth, and Moon Model
Demonstrate the interplay and movements of the sun, Earth and moon with this hands-on activity.
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The Seasons Around the World Posters and Worksheet
A diagram showing the Earth's rotation around the sun and the corresponding seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
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Order the Planets Worksheet
Help students remember the order of the planets with this cut-and-paste style worksheet.
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Sun Observation Project
Use observations of the sun to describe patterns that can be predicted with this journal project.
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Phases of the Moon – Journal Project
Observe, describe, and record patterns of the lunar cycle with this moon tracking project.
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Earth and Space Vocabulary Posters
Display this set of 18 mini-posters in your classroom when learning about Earth and space vocabulary.
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Moon Phases – Poster Set
Learn about the lunar cycle with this this set of posters showing the different phases of the moon.
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Day and Night Worksheets
Use this set of printable worksheets to encourage students to think about the differences between night and day.
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How to Make a Sundial Activity and Worksheet
Print this sundial science worksheet, and follow the instructions to make a sundial with your students when exploring concepts of time.
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All About the Sun – Comprehension Worksheet
Integrate science and reading while learning about the Sun with this comprehension worksheet.
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Space Mini-Book
Engage your students and inspire them to read and learn about space with a printable book for 1st grade and 2nd grade.
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Our Solar System - Interactive and Printable Cloze Reading Activity
Practice and review concepts associated with the solar system using a cloze passage.
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What Causes the Seasons? Informative Text Writing Task
Use this scaffolded writing task to have students write about how seasons change.
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Planet Research Templates
Explore the planets with these printable planet research templates to use with your students.
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Planets Fact Sheets and Comprehension Worksheets
Learn the facts of each of the planets in our solar system with these fact files and matching comprehension worksheets.
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Order of the Planets Display Banner
Display this banner visually showing the order of the planets for students when they learning about the solar system.