A hands-on characteristics of living and non-living things worksheet for 2nd grade, where students sort words, judge true traits, and compare examples. Includes an answer key for quick, no-prep science practice.
This Basic Fish Parts Worksheet asks 1st graders to label six numbered parts on a big, friendly fish using a word box. An answer key is included, so science practice takes no prep at all.
This Plant Parts Drawing Worksheet has 2nd Grade students match each plant part to its job, then draw and label a whole plant. An answer key is included, so checking plant vocabulary is quick and easy.
This Living Things and Non Living Things Counting Worksheet gives 2nd grade students a park number story to count, classify and compare, with an answer key included so checking the whole page takes seconds.
This living non-living venn diagram worksheet has 2nd grade students sort six facts about a polar bear and a teddy bear into a Venn diagram. An answer key is included for quick, easy checking.
This winged bug body parts worksheet has 2nd grade students label the head, thorax, abdomen, wing, leg and antenna of an insect. An answer key is included for quick checking.
This drawing living things worksheet has 2nd graders name what plants and animals need, then draw a living and a nonliving thing. An answer key is included for quick, easy checking.
This Answering Questions About Living Things Worksheet has second grade students answer Yes or No about seven things, then use those answers to decide if each one is living. An answer key is included.
This compare and contrast living and non living things worksheet has 2nd graders sort six words into Living and Non-Living groups, then match four traits. Answer key included for fast, no-prep science practice.
This Classifying Living and Nonliving Things Worksheet has 2nd Grade students sort eight everyday things into living or nonliving, then find one of each in the room. An answer key is included for quick checking.
This Ant Body Parts Worksheet asks 2nd grade students to use a word box and label six parts on a large ant diagram. An answer key is included, so life science vocabulary practice is ready to print.
This drawing living nonliving worksheet has 2nd graders sort six words into Living and Nonliving, then draw and name their own examples. An answer key is included for quick checking.
This drawing things that grow worksheet helps 2nd graders name what a puppy, acorn, and tadpole grow into, then draw and explain two living things that grow. Answer key included.
This living and non-living things alphabetical order worksheet asks 2nd graders to sort twelve words into living and nonliving, then write each list in ABC order. A full answer key is included for fast checking.
Use this draw a living thing worksheet to help 2nd grade students name the traits of living things, then draw and describe one of their own. An answer key is included for easy checking.
Is it alive? Let's find out!
Second graders learn that living things share a short list of jobs: they grow, need food and water, breathe, move or respond, and make more of their own kind. A rock fails every test. A tree passes them all, even though it never walks anywhere! Kids sort real examples, explain their reasons, and look at what plants and animals need to survive. The big click comes with the tricky ones: fire grows and moves, but it doesn't eat or have babies, so it isn't alive.
Kids already have strong opinions about what's alive. These moves turn those opinions into real reasoning.
Fill a tray with a leaf, a pebble, a pinecone, a toy car and a photo of a pet. Kids sort into two piles, then have to say which "living test" each one passed. Arguing over the pinecone is half the fun.
Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Try it withLiving and Nonliving ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Draw two overlapping circles and ask what a cat and a robot have in common. Both move! But only one grows and eats. The picture makes the "both" ideas visible, which clears up most mix-ups.
Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withLiving Non-Living Venn Diagram WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Model one example out loud: "Does a sunflower grow? Yes. Does it need water? Yes." Then hand the checklist to the kids. Seeing a teacher reason through it step by step makes the list feel like a tool, not a quiz.
Why it works: handing over the work step by step, from teacher to student, is one of the most widely used teaching frameworks (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withCharacteristics of Living and Non-Living Things WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Science is better with a little mystery and a lot of drawing.
ActivitiesRead animal riddles out loud and let kids shout their guesses. Then ask what makes that animal a living thing.
Open Animal Riddles Activity →
WorksheetsKids fold a page in half and draw living things on one side and non-living things on the other. Swap with a partner and check!
Open Drawing Living Nonliving Worksheet →
ActivitiesKids figure out what a plant needs to stay alive: sunlight, water, air and soil. Then they plan where to put a classroom plant.
Open What Does a Plant Need Activity →Teacher favorites right now: Characteristics of Living and Non-Living Things Worksheet, Basic Fish Parts Worksheet and Plant Parts Drawing Worksheet.
Living things grow, need food and water, breathe, respond to the world and make more of their own kind. Non-living things don't do all of these. A simple checklist helps kids test any object they find.
No. Fire grows, moves and needs air, so it fools a lot of kids! But it doesn't eat food, grow from a parent or have young, so it is non-living.
Seeds are living. They are resting, but given water and warmth they sprout and grow. This is a great one to test with a few beans in a wet paper towel.
Sorting real objects, nature walks with a checklist, Venn diagrams and drawing activities all work well. The key is having kids explain why, not just which pile.
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