Elements of Life Worksheet: Identify and Encircle!
Identifying elements of life introduces children ages 3-5 to the early science concept that living things share certain needs and features, like growing, eating, or breathing, which distinguishes them from non-living objects. Encircling the correct pictures builds visual discrimination and categorization skills, requiring children to look past surface appearance and think about what makes something part of that category.
Part of the pack
Month 7: Preschool Skills Through Play | Ages 4-5
This is page 29 of the pack. Ages 4-5 · Pre-KAges 4-5 · ReceptionAges 4-5 · LKGAges 4-5
Curriculum
- Living Things - Animals > Animals & Habitats
How to use this worksheet
Look at all the pictures on the page together and talk briefly about what each one shows. Ask your child which pictures represent something related to living or growing, thinking together about clues like whether it can move, eat, or grow on its own. Have them encircle each picture they identify as an element of life using a pencil or crayon. Once finished, review the encircled pictures together and talk about why each one qualifies.
Materials needed
- Pencil
- Crayons
Extension activities
- 1Talk about which elements of life your family sees or uses every day, like water, food, or sunlight.
- 2Draw your own picture representing one element of life and explain your choice out loud.
- 3Go on a short walk and point out real-world examples of the elements identified on the worksheet.
- 4Sort a small group of picture cards into living and non-living categories as a related classification activity.
- 5Care for a simple plant together, observing what it needs to grow over several days.

Written by
Hemsweta Jain · Teacher Cheena
MBA and Early Childhood Educator, teaching since 2014 · Founder of RaisoActive, Mumbai
Every RaisoActive worksheet is designed and checked by the founder before publishing.
Published · Last reviewed
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