The Solar SystemGrade 5 Science for Kids

The Sun, rocky planets, giant planets and how long their years are.

The Solar System helps fifth graders line up the planets from the Sun, sort rocky planets from gas and ice giants and compare how long a year lasts on each world. Space science with interactive challenges.

  • Grade 5 · Ages 10–11
  • 3 lessons
  • 3 experiments
  • 12 practice questions
  • About 25 min
Start Learning Free Open the Course
  • From the Sun Outward
  • Planet Parade
  • Rocky, Gas and Ice Planets
  • Planet Types
  • How Long Is a Year?
  • Year Length

Science lab course · Grade 5

The Solar System · Learning goals

What Your Child Will Learn

Line up the planets from the Sun, sort rocky planets from gas and ice giants, and compare how long a year lasts on each world.

  • Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are closest to the Sun, then comes giant Jupiter.
  • Inner planets are rocky, Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants, and Uranus and Neptune are ice giants.
  • The farther a planet is from the Sun, the longer its year. A year on Neptune lasts 165 Earth years!

Why it matters

Why This Matters for Kids

  • Our place in space

    Learning the planets helps kids understand Earth's place in the universe.

  • Comparing worlds

    Comparing planet sizes and years builds data and comparison skills.

  • Inspiring curiosity

    Space is one of the topics that most often turns kids into lifelong science fans.

Inside The Solar System

How the Course Works

Each level has a short read-aloud lesson, an interactive experiment and a mini quiz.

  1. Step 1 · Lesson

    From the Sun Outward

    Our solar system is the Sun and everything that orbits it.

  2. Step 2 · Experiment

    Planet Parade

    Let's fly out from the Sun. Put these in order, starting with the Sun.

  3. Step 3 · Lesson

    Rocky, Gas and Ice Planets

    The inner planets are small and rocky.

  4. Step 4 · Experiment

    Planet Types

    Let's sort the planets into their families!

  5. Step 5 · Lesson

    How Long Is a Year?

    A year is how long a planet takes to orbit the Sun once.

  6. Step 6 · Experiment

    Year Length

    Let's compare how many Earth days one trip around the Sun takes on different planets.

Lesson preview

A Peek Inside the Lesson

This is the real lesson text your child hears, read aloud by a friendly voice.

From the Sun Outward

Our solar system is the Sun and everything that orbits it.

Eight planets orbit the Sun, plus moons, asteroids and comets.

The four inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Then comes giant Jupiter!

Rocky, Gas and Ice Planets

The inner planets are small and rocky.

Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants, made mostly of hydrogen and helium.

Uranus and Neptune are ice giants, very cold and far away.

How Long Is a Year?

A year is how long a planet takes to orbit the Sun once.

Earth takes about 365 days.

Planets farther from the Sun have bigger orbits and move slower, so their years are much longer.

For parents

Try It at Home

Learning sticks best when kids use it in real life. Here are simple ideas from this course.

Parent Tip

Make a scale model of the planets with fruit and balls, from a peppercorn for Mercury to a large ball for Jupiter.

Planet Parade

  1. Learn this sentence: My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos.
  2. Each first letter is a planet: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
  3. Draw them in order on a long strip of paper.

Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are closest to the Sun, then comes giant Jupiter.

Planet Types

  1. Make the planets out of play dough.
  2. Use a pea for Earth and a big ball for Jupiter.
  3. Compare their sizes!

Inner planets are rocky, Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants, and Uranus and Neptune are ice giants.

Year Length

  1. Have one person be the Sun.
  2. Two people walk around: one close, one far away.
  3. Who finishes a lap first?

The farther a planet is from the Sun, the longer its year. A year on Neptune lasts 165 Earth years!

Practice

Grade 5 Science Practice Questions

Real questions from The Solar System. Try them with your child, then tap to see the answer.

  1. Question 1

    Which planet is closest to the Sun?

    • A.Earth
    • B.Jupiter
    • C.Mercury
    Show answer

    Mercury

  2. Question 2

    Which planet is a gas giant?

    • A.Jupiter
    • B.Mars
    • C.Mercury
    Show answer

    Jupiter

  3. Question 3

    What is a year?

    • A.One spin of a planet
    • B.One trip around the Sun
    • C.One month
    Show answer

    One trip around the Sun

The full course has 12 questions with instant feedback, stars and rewards. Create a free account to play them all.

The Solar System · Questions from parents

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this course for?

The Solar System is a grade 5 science course for kids ages 10–11. That is Year 6 science in the UK and Year 5 in Australia. It also works well for review in the next grade, or as a challenge for a confident younger learner.

What will my child learn?

Line up the planets from the Sun, sort rocky planets from gas and ice giants, and compare how long a year lasts on each world. Along the way they practice: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are closest to the Sun, then comes giant Jupiter; Inner planets are rocky, Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants, and Uranus and Neptune are ice giants; The farther a planet is from the Sun, the longer its year. A year on Neptune lasts 165 Earth years!.

How long does the course take?

About 25 minutes in total, split into 3 short levels. Most kids finish it over two or three sessions. Progress is saved, so they can stop any time and pick up where they left off.

Is this course free?

The Solar System is part of SkillBloom Premium, which unlocks every course in every subject. Each subject also has free courses, so your child can try SkillBloom before you decide.

Does my child need to read well to use it?

No. Every lesson has a friendly read-aloud voice, questions are read aloud too, and the pictures help kids follow along. Confident readers can turn the voice off.

Can we use it for homeschool?

Yes. SkillBloom is built for homeschooling families. Kids work through lessons, games and quizzes on their own, and the parent dashboard shows what they finished and which skills need more practice. It works on phones, tablets and laptops.

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