Paste the Animals: Aerial and Aquatic Animals Worksheet
Sorting animals into 'aerial' and 'aquatic' groups introduces slightly more advanced classification vocabulary than a simple farm-versus-wild sort, asking children to think about how an animal moves and where it lives — in the air or in water — rather than just what it looks like. This kind of habitat-based categorization at ages 3-5 builds early science thinking alongside the scissor and gluing practice.
Curriculum
How to use this worksheet
Look at each animal picture together first and talk about whether it flies or swims. Cut out the animal pictures along their dotted lines. One at a time, have your child decide whether each animal belongs in the Aerial Animals or Aquatic Animals section, then glue it into the correct spot. Review both finished groups together once everything is glued, asking your child to explain why each animal belongs where it is.
Materials needed
- Scissors
- Glue
- Pencil
Extension activities
- •Watch birds flying outside or fish swimming in a tank and talk about how their movement differs.
- •Sort toy animals into 'flies' and 'swims' piles using bath toys and stuffed animals.
- •Visit an aquarium or aviary, or look at pictures of one, and match what you see to the worksheet categories.
- •Draw your own aerial animal and aquatic animal and explain your choices.
- •Talk about animals that can do both, like ducks, and why they don't fit neatly into one group.
Tips for parents and teachers
This sorting task is slightly harder than a farm-versus-wild sort because habitat and movement aren't always obvious from a picture alone, so expect to talk through a few animals together rather than having your child sort silently. Bring up an animal like a duck or a flying fish as a fun exception to discuss, since not everything fits neatly into one box. Naming each animal aloud as it's sorted reinforces both vocabulary and the underlying science concept.
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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