Living and Non-Living Things Worksheet for Kids
Children ages 3-5 practice an early scientific classification skill by deciding whether each pictured object grows, breathes, and moves on its own, versus things like rocks or toys that don't. Sorting living from non-living things builds the observational reasoning that underpins all later science learning.
Part of the pack
Month 2: Learning & Development | Ages 5-6Curriculum
How to use this worksheet
Look at each picture together and ask your child simple guiding questions like 'does it eat?' or 'does it grow?' to help them decide. If the object is alive, have them draw a circle around it; if it isn't, have them mark an X over it. Work through the whole page this way, encouraging your child to explain their reasoning for each answer before moving to the next picture.
Materials needed
- Pencil
- Crayons
Extension activities
- •Take a nature walk and make a simple list of everything you see that's living versus non-living.
- •Sort toys and household objects into 'living' and 'non-living' piles, discussing any tricky ones like a stuffed animal.
- •Plant a seed together and observe it over several days, talking about the signs that show it's alive.
- •Play an 'I spy' game around the house, describing an object and asking your child to guess if it's living or non-living.
Tips for parents and teachers
Some objects, like a toy dog or a cartoon tree, can confuse children because they resemble living things without actually being alive, so use these as teaching moments rather than corrections. Asking 'why did you choose that?' after each answer reveals their reasoning and reinforces the concept better than simply marking right or wrong. Praise their thinking process, since classification skills develop through repeated, varied examples.
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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