Science · Colouring and tick-the-box worksheet
Sorting Rocks Worksheet: Free KS2 Science Printable
This free printable worksheet supports the Year 3 science topic Rocks, where children learn to compare and group rocks by their appearance and simple physical properties. The page shows five different rocks to colour, followed by a sorting task in which children tick the properties that match each one.
Sorting Rocks
Free Science worksheet · Ages 7 to 8
Activity 1
Look carefully at the five rocks. Colour each one in, choosing colours and shading that match how rough, smooth, shiny or dull you think it is.
- Colour the smooth round pebble in a soft, even colour.
- Colour the rough, chunky boulder using a darker, patchy colour for its bumpy surface.
- Colour the shiny crystal so its flat sides look bright and sparkly.
- Colour the flat, layered slab so each layer is a slightly different shade.
- Colour the stone full of little holes, leaving the holes empty so it looks like it could soak up water.
Activity 2
Look at each rock again and tick the boxes for the properties you think describe it. You can tick more than one box for each rock. Be ready to say why you chose each one.
- The smooth round pebble feels smooth.
- The shiny crystal rock looks shiny rather than dull.
- The chunky boulder feels rough.
- The stone with little holes would soak up water.
- The flat, layered slab is made of layers you can see.
- A hard rock is easy to scratch with your fingernail.
Sorting Rocksowee.worldAnswer key
- The smooth round pebble feels smooth. — tick
- The shiny crystal rock looks shiny rather than dull. — tick
- The chunky boulder feels rough. — tick
- The stone with little holes would soak up water. — tick
- The flat, layered slab is made of layers you can see. — tick
What this worksheet teaches
In Year 3, children begin to look at rocks as scientists do: not just naming them, but observing and comparing their properties. This worksheet focuses on the simple, observable characteristics set out in the National Curriculum: whether a rock is hard or soft, shiny or dull, rough or smooth, and whether water soaks into it. By colouring five contrasting rocks and then ticking the properties that describe them, children practise the key scientific skill of grouping objects on the basis of shared and differing features. The colouring step is deliberate: deciding which textures to shade encourages children to look closely before they sort.
How to use it at home or in class
Print the sheet onto a single sheet of A4 and, if you can, gather a few real rocks and pebbles to handle alongside it. Children colour the five rocks first, then work through the tick-box task, choosing properties for each one. Where possible, let them test their ideas: rubbing two rocks together shows which is harder; a drop of water shows whether a rock is porous (soaks up water) or not. There are no single right answers for every rock here, because real rocks vary; the value is in children justifying their choices. Ask them why they ticked a box, and you will quickly hear scientific reasoning developing.
Understanding the properties
Hard or soft describes how easily a rock can be scratched or worn away; chalk is soft, granite is hard. Shiny or dull refers to how light reflects off the surface, which is why crystals can sparkle while a weathered boulder looks matt. Rough or smooth is about texture, often a clue to how a rock has been shaped: pebbles in a river become smooth as they are tumbled over time. Permeable or not describes whether water soaks in; porous rocks such as some sandstones have tiny holes that absorb water, while dense rocks let it run off. These four pairs give children a reliable framework for sorting almost any rock they meet.
Extending the learning
Once children are confident with this sheet, take the investigation outdoors. A rock hunt in a garden, park or along a beach gives a free supply of specimens to sort using the same properties. Encourage children to make a simple table or set of hoops on the floor and physically group the rocks: shiny in one, dull in another, then re-sort by a different property to show that the same rock can belong to more than one group. This reinforces that scientific classification depends on the question you are asking, a powerful idea that carries through the rest of primary science.
Frequently asked questions
What properties do children use to sort rocks in Year 3?
The National Curriculum asks children to compare and group rocks by their appearance and simple physical properties. In practice this means observing whether a rock is hard or soft, shiny or dull, rough or smooth, and whether it soaks up water (porous) or not. This worksheet uses exactly these property pairs.
Is this rocks worksheet free to print?
Yes. The worksheet is completely free and prints onto a single sheet of A4. There is no sign-up required to download and print it for home or classroom use.
What age group is this worksheet for?
It is designed for children aged 7 to 8 (Year 3, Lower KS2), the year in which rocks are taught in the English National Curriculum. It also suits keen Year 4 children or younger children revising the topic with adult support.
How can I test whether a rock soaks up water at home?
Place a few drops of water onto a dry rock and watch closely. If the water beads on top or runs off, the rock is not very porous. If the water disappears into the surface and the rock darkens, it is porous and is soaking the water up, like some sandstones do.
Can one rock have more than one property ticked?
Yes, and that is the point of the task. A single rock might be both rough and dull, or smooth and shiny. Children should tick every property that applies, which helps them understand that classification depends on the features you choose to look at.
Curriculum links
- Year 3 Science (Rocks): compare and group together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties.
- Year 3 Science (Rocks): describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock (related topic context).
- Working Scientifically (Lower KS2): making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate measurements.
- Working Scientifically (Lower KS2): gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions.
- Working Scientifically (Lower KS2): using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.
Made by The Owee education team. Updated 02/06/2026. Free to print and share.
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