Biography Worksheets for Kids

Biography worksheets are a great way to help kids learn more about the people who shaped history, science, literature, music, and the arts. Instead of just memorizing names and dates, they can research what each person achieved and why they are still remembered today.

I’ve created a large collection of biography research worksheets over the years, with prompts covering each person’s life, achievements, challenges, and legacy. I’ve gathered them all here to make it easier to find the right person for your next lesson.

Not sure who to choose? Try the random famous people generator to pick someone to research. Or, if you’d rather start with a moment in history and find out who was involved, the random historical event generator gives you events from different periods, regions, and topics to investigate.

U.S. Presidents & American Historical Figures

There are so many people kids can research when studying American history, from presidents and Founding Fathers to Supreme Court justices. Learning about the people involved also gives them more context for the events and changes happening at the time.

U.S. Presidents Biography Worksheets

• George Washington – From his military career during the American Revolution to becoming the first U.S. president.
• John Adams – A Founding Father, leading voice for independence, and the second U.S. president.
• Thomas Jefferson – Best known as the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.
• Abraham Lincoln – An especially interesting choice when studying the Civil War, slavery, and emancipation.
• Theodore Roosevelt – A good one for looking at the Progressive Era, conservation, and a very different style of presidency.
• Woodrow Wilson – His presidency gives kids plenty to investigate, particularly America’s involvement in World War I.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt – A particularly useful biography to pair with the Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II.
• Harry S. Truman – His presidency covers some huge decisions and events at the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War.
• Dwight D. Eisenhower – Kids can look at both sides of his story: Supreme Allied Commander during World War II and later U.S. president.
• Ronald Reagan – His unusual route from Hollywood actor to president makes him an interesting modern biography choice.
• Barack Obama – From his early life and political career to becoming the first African American president of the United States.

For a broader project, the U.S. Presidents Research Worksheets include one research page for each of the 45 people who have served as U.S. president, making it easy to compare their lives and presidencies.

American Historical Figures

The Benjamin Franklin worksheets explore his life as a Founding Father, inventor, scientist, writer, and diplomat, with biography research activities alongside his most important inventions.

Supreme Court Justices

The Supreme Court Justices Research Project Bundle is useful if you’re studying the judicial branch rather than the presidency. It includes Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, and Stephen Breyer, with kids researching both their lives and legal careers.

Scientists, Inventors & Mathematicians

Scientists and inventors are some of my favorite people to use for biography projects because kids often know the invention or discovery long before they know anything about the person responsible for it.

If you want plenty of choices in one place, the Inventors Worksheets Bundle has 10 inventors. Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Alexander Graham Bell, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Fulton, Robert Goddard, and the Wright brothers are all included.

Astronomy has its own collection too. The Famous Astronomers Worksheets include 12 people, with Galileo, Copernicus and Kepler alongside less obvious choices such as Annie Jump Cannon, Henrietta Swan Leavitt, and Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.

For math, the Famous Mathematicians Research Worksheets cover 12 people. There’s a really good mix here, from Pythagoras and Isaac Newton to Alan Turing and Katherine Johnson.

And if you’re studying environmental science, the Famous Environmentalists Worksheets include Jane Goodall, Rachel Carson, David Attenborough, Wangari Maathai, Sylvia Earle, Jacques Cousteau, and Greta Thunberg.

Artists, Authors & Composers

Biographies also work really well alongside art, books, and music. Learning about the person behind a famous painting, story, or piece of music gives kids much more context for the work itself.

The Famous Artists Research Worksheets cover 30 artists, including Claude Monet, Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O’Keeffe, Salvador Dalí, Mary Cassatt, Rembrandt, and Edgar Degas. Each artist has research activities exploring their life, work, and artistic style.

Older students can also explore the life and work of William Shakespeare with a biography research project that includes guided research, a poster, and a coloring activity.

The Famous Authors Research Worksheets feature 21 children’s authors, including Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, Beatrix Potter, A.A. Milne, E.B. White, Maurice Sendak, Judy Blume, Eric Carle, and Mo Willems. They’re a useful addition to an author study or when reading one of their books.

The Famous Composers Research Worksheets introduce 36 composers from different periods of music history, including Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, and Scott Joplin. Kids can research each composer’s life, music, and contribution to classical music.

World History Biography & Research Worksheets

Researching the people who held power at different points in history can help kids understand the events around them, rather than learning battles, wars, and dates in isolation.

The Kings and Queens of England Worksheets explore rulers including William the Conqueror, Richard the Lionheart, King John, Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, and George III, with research activities looking at their lives, reigns, and impact.

For world history, there are also individual biography worksheets for figures including Genghis Khan, Charlemagne, Peter the Great, and Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Famous Dictators Worksheets take a more detailed look at some of the most consequential authoritarian leaders in modern history, including Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, and others. Kids research their early lives, rise to power, policies, conflicts, and historical impact.

And because biography projects don’t always have to be serious, I had to include pirates. The Famous Pirates Research Project covers 15 historical pirates through biography research activities and coloring pages. It works well for kids who are interested in maritime history and want to investigate the real people behind some of the most famous pirate stories.

For an Ancient Greece study, the Greek Mythology Research Worksheets use a similar research-project format for 13 mythological figures, including Gaia, Hermes, Theseus, Prometheus, Psyche, the Minotaur, Hestia, and Eros. Kids investigate each figure’s role, family connections, symbols, powers, famous myths, and importance in Greek mythology.

Women in STEM Biography Worksheets

Women’s History Month is a great opportunity to introduce kids to scientists whose work changed the world, but these biography projects work just as well in science and STEM lessons throughout the year.

The Women in STEM Biography Worksheets feature 15 scientists, including Mary Anning, Elizabeth Blackwell, Alexa Canady, Jane Goodall, Rosalind Franklin, Mae Jemison, Barbara McClintock, Maria Mitchell, Marie M. Daly, Kathryn D. Sullivan, Caroline Herschel, Lise Meitner, Irène Joliot-Curie, Mary Somerville, and Émilie du Châtelet.

Each biography includes a guided research page where kids investigate the scientist’s life, major discoveries, challenges, and lasting impact, along with a classroom poster and coloring page.

Biography Worksheets for Heritage Months

Heritage months are a good opportunity to move beyond general history and focus on the lives of individual people and the contributions they made. These larger research collections give kids plenty of people to choose from for a biography project.

Hispanic Heritage Month Biographies

The Hispanic Heritage Month Biography Research Worksheets feature 42 influential Hispanic and Latino figures from history, science, politics, literature, sports, music, and the arts.

Kids can research people including César Chávez, Ellen Ochoa, Frida Kahlo, Sonia Sotomayor, Roberto Clemente, Pablo Neruda, Selena, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dolores Huerta, Mario Molina, Rita Moreno, and Lionel Messi. Each worksheet guides them through researching the person’s life, achievements, and lasting impact.

Native American Heritage Month Biographies

The Native American Heritage Month Biography Research Project includes 37 biography activities featuring influential Native American people, giving kids a wide range of figures to choose from for independent research during Native American Heritage Month or a broader American history study.

**This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and a participant in other affiliate programs, I earn a commission on qualifying purchases.**

Biography Books for Kids

Biography worksheets work even better when kids have an age-appropriate book they can use for their research. The Who Was? series is one of my favorites for this because the books are approachable for kids while still giving them plenty of information to use in a biography project.

Who Was Abraham Lincoln? is my pick for an American history biography project. Kids can learn about Lincoln’s early life, presidency, the Civil War, and emancipation before completing their research worksheet.

Who Was Albert Einstein? is a good companion for a science biography project, introducing his life and the ideas that made him one of the best-known scientists in history.

Who Was Frida Kahlo? works particularly well alongside an artist biography study and introduces kids to both her life and the experiences that influenced her distinctive artwork.

Who Was Genghis Khan? is a useful choice for world history, giving kids more context about his life, rise to power, the Mongol Empire, and his historical legacy.

Who Was Marie Curie? is a natural addition to a women in STEM study, covering her life, scientific discoveries, and groundbreaking work with radioactivity.

Who Was Roberto Clemente? is a great choice during Hispanic Heritage Month and adds a sports biography to the mix, with plenty to research about both his baseball career and humanitarian work.