The planets in order from the Sun: what children learn
Eight planets travel around the Sun. In order from the Sun they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. In Year 5, children learn that the Earth and the other planets orbit (move around) the Sun, and they start to build a picture of the solar system, from the small rocky planets near the Sun to the giant planets far away.
In this game children see four planets mixed up and put them in order, starting with the one nearest the Sun. Each round picks a different set of four, so children have to know the whole order rather than one pattern. A memory sentence helps: "My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming", where the first letter of each word matches a planet. Pluto is not included: since 2006 astronomers have classed it as a dwarf planet.
This topic covers the Year 5 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Earth and space): pupils should be taught to “describe the movement of the Earth and other planets relative to the sun in the solar system”. Year 5 pupils are usually aged 9–10.
There is no direct equivalent in the US Common Core State Standards.
How to play
Put the numbers in order. Use the arrow buttons, or pick one card and then another to swap them. Each game has 5 rounds. After you press Check, the correct order is shown if you got it wrong.
Step by step
- Learn the order. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
- Use a memory sentence. "My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming." Each first letter is a planet: M, V, E, M, J, S, U, N.
- Split into two teams. The four inner planets (Mercury to Mars) are small and rocky. The four outer planets (Jupiter to Neptune) are giants.
- Use Earth as a landmark. Earth is third. Only Mercury and Venus are closer to the Sun.
- Check with the asteroid belt. The asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter, so it marks the change from rocky planets to giants.
Worked examples
Example 1: Put in order from the Sun: Saturn, Earth, Mercury, Jupiter.
Working: Mercury is first. Earth is third. Jupiter is fifth and Saturn sixth.
Answer: Mercury, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn
Example 2: Put in order from the Sun: Neptune, Venus, Uranus, Mars.
Working: Venus (2nd), Mars (4th), Uranus (7th), Neptune (8th).
Answer: Venus, Mars, Uranus, Neptune
Example 3: Which planet is between Earth and Jupiter?
Working: Earth is third and Jupiter is fifth.
Answer: Mars.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Swapping Uranus and Neptune. In the memory sentence "Up" comes before "Naming": Uranus, then Neptune, the furthest planet.
- Swapping Mercury and Venus. Mercury is the smallest planet and the nearest to the Sun. Venus is second, and it is the hottest planet.
- Including the Moon or Pluto. The Moon orbits the Earth. Pluto is a dwarf planet.
- Thinking the Sun goes round the Earth. The Earth orbits the Sun once a year. The Sun seems to move across the sky because the Earth spins.
Activities to try at home
- Make up your own silly memory sentence for M, V, E, M, J, S, U, N.
- Make a model solar system with fruit or balls of different sizes and line them up in the garden.
- Look for Venus, Jupiter or Mars in the evening sky using a free star chart.
- Print the worksheet and time how fast your child can number the planets.
Ideas for the classroom
- Make a human solar system in the playground with pupils holding planet cards.
- Measure out a scale model of distances on a long strip of till roll. The outer planets are surprisingly far apart.
- Research one planet each and present three facts, in order from the Sun.
- Use the game as a starter before modelling orbits and day and night.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a colour-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
Why is Pluto not a planet?
In 2006 the International Astronomical Union decided Pluto is a dwarf planet, because it has not cleared its orbit of other objects. So the solar system has eight planets.
Which planet is the biggest?
Jupiter is the largest planet. It is so big that all the other planets could fit inside it.
Which planet is hottest?
Venus, the second planet, is the hottest, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. Its thick clouds trap heat.