How can you tell they’ve got it: Naming the Planets?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: Name the eight planets in order from the Sun without prompting; Use 'orbit' correctly to describe the movement of planets around the Sun and moons around planets; Distinguish between a planet, a moon, a star, and an asteroid using the correct vocabulary. Or just try it together: Can your child name the planets in order from the Sun — and explain the difference between a star, a planet, and a moon?

Science Space Systems & Earth's History Ages 5–8

Naming the Planets

Your child can name the eight planets in order from the Sun. They can explain the difference between a star, a planet, and a moon that circles a planet.

In curriculum terms

Name the planets in our solar system in order from the Sun and use vocabulary for space — planet, star, sun, moon, satellite, orbit, solar system, galaxy, universe, asteroid, comet — applying these correctly when describing the structure of the solar system and objects we see in the sky

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Name the eight planets in order from the Sun without prompting
Use 'orbit' correctly to describe the movement of planets around the Sun and moons around planets
Distinguish between a planet, a moon, a star, and an asteroid using the correct vocabulary

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Try this together

Can your child name the planets in order from the Sun — and explain the difference between a star, a planet, and a moon?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Nothing on the map comes before this — it’s a starting point.

Naming the Planetsthis skill · ages 5–8

Unlocks

Sun, Moon, and starsages 6–7Describing predictable patterns of sun, moon, and stars requires planet, star, moon, orbit vocabulary

The solar systemages 9–10Describing sun, Earth, and moon as spherical bodies and planets orbiting the sun requires solar system vocabulary

The solar systemages 11–12Describing the detailed solar system structure including moons, asteroids, and comets requires all this vocabulary

Why seasons changeages 5–7Relating daylight length to time of year draws on orbit and solar system vocabulary

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

Show candidate curriculum codes · 1 ACARA · 1 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9S2U01medium confidenceYear 2 · Science understanding

recognise Earth is a planet in the solar system and identify patterns in the changing position of the sun, moon, planets and stars in the sky

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2S2U08medium confidenceScience · Foundation to Level 2 · Science Understanding strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Why seasons changeages 5–7 Sun, Moon, and starsages 6–7 Rapid earth changesages 7–8 Earth & Space Vocabularyages 8–11

All Space Systems & Earth's History skills →