One of the first science lessons you will teach in early childhood is the difference between living and non living things. However teaching this concept can be a little tricky without the right tools. In this blog post I detail how I introduce the topic and how I teach and explain different concepts. I have included the many successful living and non living activities and ideas that I use in my classroom.
Do Some Brainstorming
First of all help your students understand what they already know about living and non living things. This will help build a foundation for your students and give you the information you need to plan upcoming lessons.
Here are some questions to start with:
- Are we (humans/people) living or non living?
- Tell me some more living things. (Record their answers on a big sheet of paper.)
- What are some non living things?
Go on a Nature Walk
Kids just love the great outdoors and what better place to be when learning about living things. Let your students go on a walk outside to record what living and non living objects they can find. If you don’t have a good space (or enough hands!) to do this during the school day, you can also have parents help their child with this activity at home.
Here are some ideas on how to collect your data:
- Let your students draw what they see on their walk.
- Use the classroom camera or iPad to record what you see. You can even take a video of what observations your students make in the moment.
- Use PicCollage to sort any photos you receive from parents and children on their nature walks into living and non living categories with your students during circle time.
To help me collect evidence that my students have mastered this concept, I created these Living and Non Living Worksheets to use during this activity. I use these worksheets as a record at reporting time to assist in assigning a grade using my Reporting Grade Descriptors!
Find the Living and Non Living Worksheets here.
Help Your Students Reflect
Next, take a moment to review your findings so far. There are many questions we can ask to help students reflect on what they’re learning. Be sure to help your students understand how we know something is living:
- It grows
- It moves
- It breathes
- It eats
- It reproduces
- It excretes
A simple diagram can also help make these concepts real for children. You will find that one of the most fascinating living and non living activities for your students is when they learn that plants can breathe and eat!
I also developed a simple worksheet to help students learn what living things need to survive, using pets as a guide. We used plasticine or playdough to create a classroom pet to complete the worksheet.
Find the Needs of Pets Worksheet here.
Teach Students to Describe Similarities and Differences
Help your students reflect on the similarities and differences between living and non living things by using descriptive language to compare. This living and non living activity will have students analyse the features of different living things and use descriptive language to compare them.Tip: I enlarge one of the worksheets onto A3 size paper and we complete the worksheet together as a class. Students can then work on the second worksheet independently.
Find these Living Things Worksheets here.
Take Learning to the Next Level
This living and non living activity has got to be one of my students’ favourites! Test your students’ knowledge of living and non living things by completing this cut and paste picture sort.
Find the Living and Non Living Picture Sort here.
You might also like the following activities to compliment your Life and Living unit.
Help your students understand how they are living using this simple activity.
How I Grow and Change Mini Book
