- Science
- Classes 1-2
- 4 min read
Living and non-living things
Learn how to tell living things like plants and animals from non-living things like stones, chairs and toys.
Let us begin
The big idea
Look around you. A dog is running, a tree is standing and a chair is sitting still. Some of these things are alive and some are not. Let us find out how to tell them apart.
Living things need food, water and air. A dog eats and drinks. A plant drinks water through its roots and takes in air.
Living things grow. A puppy becomes a dog. A small seed becomes a big plant. Living things also have babies of their own kind. A cow has a calf, and a mango tree gives seeds that grow into new mango trees.
Living things can feel and respond. If you touch a hot cup, you pull your hand away. A plant on a windowsill bends towards the light.
Non-living things do not eat, do not grow and do not have babies. A stone, a chair, a pencil, a ball and a glass of water are all non-living.
Some non-living things can move. A car moves and a river flows. But they do not eat, grow or have babies, so they are not living.
Worked examples
See how it works
Is a cat living?
A cat eats and drinks. It breathes. It grows from a kitten into a cat. It has kittens. So a cat is a living thing.
Is a stone living?
A stone does not eat or drink. It does not grow. It does not have baby stones. So a stone is a non-living thing.
Is a plant living even though it does not walk?
Yes. A plant does not walk, but it takes in water and air, it grows, and it makes seeds that become new plants. So a plant is a living thing.
Try it at home
Living or non-living hunt
You will need
- Paper
- Pencil
What to do
- Fold your paper in half. Write Living on one side and Non-living on the other.
- Walk around your home or garden with a grown-up.
- Write or draw five living things you can see.
- Write or draw five non-living things you can see.
- For each living thing, say out loud one reason why it is living.
Ask a grown-up: Please go along with the child. Do not touch unknown insects, thorny plants or animals that are not your own pets.
Fun fact
A tiny seed is alive. It can wait for days or months and then wake up and start to grow when it gets water and warmth.
Practice sheet
Check what you learned
Practice sheet: Living and non-living things (Classes 1-2, Science)
- Is a dog living or non-living?
- Is a pencil living or non-living?
- Name two things that all living things need.
- Does a stone grow?
- Which one grows: a tree or a table?
- Sort these into living and non-living: cat, book, mango tree, ball, fish, chair.
- Can living things have babies?
- Is the Sun living or non-living?
- A plant does not walk. Why do we still say it is living?
- A toy car moves, but it is non-living. Why?
Answer key
Answers: Living and non-living things
- Living.
- Non-living.
- Any two of food, water and air.
- No. A stone does not grow.
- A tree grows. A table does not.
- Living: cat, mango tree, fish. Non-living: book, ball, chair.
- Yes. For example, a hen lays eggs and a cow has a calf.
- Non-living.
- It grows, it takes in water and air, and it makes seeds for new plants.
- It does not eat, grow or have babies. It moves only when someone pushes it or when its battery works.