Parts of the Brain Diagram
Free printable parts of the brain diagram — a labeled illustration of the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes, cerebellum and brain stem. Download PDF or PNG for Letter paper.
The parts of the brain
The brain is the control center of the body, and each part has its own job. Here is what happens at each labeled part of the diagram:
| Part | What it does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Frontal lobe | Handles thinking, planning, decisions and voluntary movement. | This is the part that lets you stop and think before you act — without it, controlling impulses and making plans would be nearly impossible. It's also one of the last parts of the brain to fully develop, which is why careful decision-making keeps improving all the way into your mid-twenties. |
| Parietal lobe | Processes touch, temperature and where your body is in space. | Reach into a bag and identify a key by touch alone — that's your parietal lobe at work, building a three-dimensional map of the world from your skin and joints. Without it, you'd struggle to know where your own hands and feet were without looking at them. |
| Occipital lobe | Processes what your eyes see. | Your eyes don't actually "see" — they just collect light. It's the occipital lobe that turns those raw signals into the shapes, colors, and faces you recognize. Damage here can cause blindness even when the eyes themselves are perfectly healthy. |
| Temporal lobe | Handles hearing, memory and understanding language. | Every word you've ever learned to understand lives here. The temporal lobe is also where the brain stamps experiences into long-term memory, which is why damage to it can leave someone unable to form new memories even while their older ones stay intact. |
| Cerebellum | Controls balance, coordination and smooth movement. | Learning to ride a bike or catch a ball would be nearly impossible without the cerebellum, which fine-tunes every movement your body makes. Although it makes up only about ten percent of the brain's volume, it contains more than half of all its nerve cells. |
| Brain stem | Connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls automatic jobs like breathing and heartbeat. | You never have to remember to breathe or keep your heart beating because the brain stem handles those jobs automatically, even while you sleep. It's the oldest part of the brain in evolutionary terms, and no other region can take over its duties if it's seriously injured. |
Companion worksheet
A free fill-in worksheet with an answer key, built from the labels above — students match each part to its description, then answer a couple of short questions. Great for a quick check after using the diagram.
How to print
Choose Download PDF for a ready-to-print file that fits US Letter paper (8.5 × 11") in landscape, or Download PNG for the high-resolution image.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main parts of the brain?
The main parts shown here are the four lobes (frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal), the cerebellum and the brain stem.
What does the cerebellum do?
The cerebellum controls balance, coordination and smooth, precise movements.
What paper size should I print this on?
The diagram is sized for standard US Letter paper (8.5 × 11") in landscape orientation. Use "Download PDF" for a print-ready file that fits the page automatically.