FREE! - Ordering the Planets Worksheet - Primary Resources - Free Printable

Let’s figure out the correct order of the planets from the Sun.

We know there are 8 planets in our solar system, and they orbit the Sun in this order:

1. Mercury — closest to the Sun
2. Venus
3. Earth
4. Mars
5. Jupiter
6. Saturn
7. Uranus
8. Neptune — farthest from the Sun

Now look at the cut-out boxes on the right side of your worksheet. You have four planets shown:

- Neptune (with rings? Actually, that’s a mistake — Neptune doesn’t have prominent rings like Saturn, but maybe it’s drawn simply)
- Uranus (also with rings — again, simplified drawing)
- Mars (small red planet)
- Mercury (smallest, grayish)

But wait — you’re missing Venus, Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn! That means this worksheet only wants you to place these 4 specific planets into their correct numbered spots among the 8 orbits.

So let’s match them:

Orbit #1 → Mercury (closest to Sun)
Orbit #4 → Mars (after Earth, which is #3)
Orbit #7 → Uranus (after Saturn #6)
Orbit #8 → Neptune (farthest)

Wait — let’s double-check the standard order:

1. Mercury
2. Venus
3. Earth
4. Mars
5. Jupiter
6. Saturn
7. Uranus
8. Neptune

Yes, so:

- Mercury goes in spot #1
- Mars goes in spot #4
- Uranus goes in spot #7
- Neptune goes in spot #8

That matches the numbers already printed on the worksheet: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 around the Sun.

So when you cut out the planet pictures, paste them like this:

→ Paste Mercury in circle #1
→ Paste Mars in circle #4
→ Paste Uranus in circle #7
→ Paste Neptune in circle #8

The other circles (#2, #3, #5, #6) will stay empty because those planets aren’t included in the cut-outs.

Final Answer:
Paste Mercury in position 1, Mars in position 4, Uranus in position 7, and Neptune in position 8.