Grades 2–4
Rocky Planets and Giant Planets
Sort the planets into rocky planets and giant planets, then answer five questions about them.
Science worksheet · Solar system
The Planets in Order
Label the eight planets in order from the sun, with a word bank and a sentence to remember the order.
- Grade level
- Grades 1–3
- Time
- About 15 minutes
- Topic
- Solar system
- Answer key
- Yes, page 2 of the PDF
- Kids practice
- The solar system, Planet facts, Moon phases
What kids do
Printed on the sheet:
- Write the name of each planet in order from the sun.
- Remember the order: My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming. Each word starts with the same letter as a planet.
- The biggest planet is
- The planet closest to the sun is
Words on this sheet
JupiterEarthUranusNeptuneSaturnMercuryMarsVenusSun
Teacher tip
Teach a silly sentence to remember the order, and invite kids to make up their own.
How to use it
- Line up eight kids as the planets in order across the room or the playground.
- Use a lamp and a ball to show why the moon seems to change shape.
- Let partners compare answers and settle any differences with a book or a video.
Watch for
The moon makes no light of its own. It reflects sunlight.
Talk about it
- Which planet would you visit and why?
- What did you notice that surprised you?
Take it further
Build a scale model of the planets’ distances with toilet paper squares in the hallway.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More solar system worksheets
Grades 3–5
Phases of the Moon
Label the eight phases of the moon, then answer questions about how the moon seems to change.
Grades 2–5
Space: True or False?
Ten facts about the sun, moon and planets to mark true or false, then fix two false ones.
Grades 2–5
My Planet Report
A research template for one planet: a drawing, its order from the sun, moons, length of a year and fun facts.
Free for teachers
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