Year 1 · Science · Biological sciences
Living things and their needs
Children discover that plants, animals and people are living things that need food, water and air to stay alive and grow.
Awaiting educator review. This material was drafted by our content team with AI assistance and is waiting for review by a qualified educator. Please check it suits your child before using it. Created 10 October 2026.
These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to New Zealand year levels by age (NZ Year 1 is the first year of school). They are not yet mapped to The New Zealand Curriculum, so check them against your own learning programme.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Name some living things found around the home and garden.
- Explain that living things need food, water and air.
- Care for a living thing by meeting its needs.
Success looks like
- I can point to a living thing and a non-living thing.
- I can say three things that living things need.
- I can help look after a plant or pet.
The big idea
Everything around us is either living or non-living. Living things include people, animals such as kangaroos and magpies, and plants such as gum trees and grass.
All living things have needs. Animals need food, water and air. Plants need water, air and sunlight to make their own food.
Many animals also need shelter. A wombat digs a burrow, a possum sleeps in a tree hollow and a bird builds a nest.
Non-living things, like rocks, toys and spoons, do not eat, drink or grow by themselves.
- A soft toy kangaroo looks like an animal, but it is non-living. It does not eat or grow.
We can help living things by giving them what they need, like watering a plant or filling a pet's water bowl.
Worked examples
Is it living?
Is a pot plant living or non-living?
- Ask: does it grow? Yes, a plant grows new leaves.
- Ask: does it need water? Yes, it droops if it gets too dry.
- So the plant is living.
Answer: The pot plant is living.
What does a koala need?
Name the things a koala needs to stay alive.
- Koalas eat gum leaves, so they need food.
- Koalas need water. They get much of it from leaves but also drink.
- Koalas breathe air, like us.
- Koalas need gum trees for shelter and food.
Answer: Food (gum leaves), water, air and trees for shelter.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
Which one is a living thing?
A magpie — A magpie is a bird. It eats, drinks, breathes and grows, so it is living.
What do plants need to make their own food?
Sunlight — Plants use sunlight, air and water to make their food.
Where does a wombat find shelter?
In a burrow — Wombats dig burrows in the ground to stay safe and cool.
Which one is non-living?
A teddy bear — A teddy bear does not eat, drink or grow, so it is non-living.
What happens to a plant if it gets no water for a long time?
It wilts and can die — Without water a plant droops (wilts) and can die.
What do all animals need to drink?
water — All animals need water to stay alive.
We breathe it in all the time. What is it?
air — People and animals need air to breathe.
Is a kookaburra living or non-living?
living — A kookaburra is a bird. It eats, drinks and grows, so it is living.
Watch out for
- Children may think things that move, like cars or clouds, are alive. Remind them that living things also eat, drink and grow.
- Some children think plants are not alive because they do not move around. Show how a plant grows and needs water.
- A toy that looks like an animal is still non-living.
Tips for parents
- Go on a short 'living hunt' in the backyard or park and let your child point out living things.
- Give your child a small job, like watering a plant each day, so they see needs being met.
- Safety: wash hands after handling soil, and look but do not touch wild animals, spiders or insects.
Go further
- Draw a favourite Australian animal and its shelter.
- Plant a bean seed in a clear cup with damp paper towel and watch it grow over a week.
- Make a sorting mat with 'living' and 'non-living' sides and sort picture cards.