Preschool Science Activities
The Animal World

I put together these preschool science activities based on the following seven facts children must know about animals.

1. Animals are Living Things

Begin by discussing with the children about animals.

Question: How do we know that animals are living things?

Answer: They can breathe, they eat, they move, they sleep.

Sorting Activity

Sort card images of animals and other objects.

Recommended Flash Cards: My First Animals Touch and Feel Picture Cards

2. Animals Grow to Be Adults and Reproduce

Question: What would happen if animals did not have babies or if animals never died?

You can make use of preschool science activities on animals to discuss the circle of life.

Matching Game

Match the parent animal to the baby animal and teach the children their proper names. (e.g. bull, cow and calf)

3. Animals Can Move Around

Question: How do animals move around?

Dramatic Play

Call out the name of an animal and the children need to act out the movement of the animal and the sound it makes.

4. Animal Need Food to Survive

Question: What do animals eat?

Question: Why is food and water important?

Matching Game

Match up the right food item to the animal. Discuss with the children what would happen if an animal eats the wrong food?

Optional: Classify the animals by their groupings: Carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.

5. Animals Protect Themselves

Question: What do animals need to protect themselves from?

Question: What are some ways that animals protect themselves?

Answer: Smell - Skunks, Camouflage - Lizards, Hard Shell - Turtle

Prey and Predators

This is a great way to introduce children to the food chain. Using animal card images or toy animals create the food chain from weakest to strongest.

6. Animals Live in Different Habitats

Animals live in a forest, a farm, the desert, a jungle and the ocean.

Question: Why can't a pig live in the desert? Why can't a monkey live on the farm?

Where Do I Live?

Give the children drawings of different habitats and let them draw the right animals in each page.

7. There are Different Types of Animals

Insect and spider - insects have six legs, spiders have eight legs.

Birds - have feathers and wings. They can fly and walk

Fish - have fins and they can breathe under water.

Reptiles and amphibians - Reptiles such as lizards live in the desert. Amphibians such as frogs live near water.

Mammals - Have hair or fur. Their babies drink milk. Some have two legs some have four.

Classifying Game

Give the children pictures of animals and ask them to classify them to the right group: insects or spiders. Bird, fish. Reptile or amphibians and mammals.

Recommended Flash Cards: Learning Resources Animal Classifying Cards