Kindergarten: Science

Classifying: living or nonliving?

One of the first classifications that kindergarteners learn is living or nonliving. Ask your child how to know whether something is alive. Encourage them to share their thoughts, and then explain that an object is alive if it:

• grows
• breathes
• eats

Explain that living things need food, water, and air to stay alive, and that all living things change and grow. Ask, “Are you living or nonliving?”

Take a walk in your neighborhood and point out objects like vehicles, trees, animals, flowers, and buildings. For each object ask: “Does it eat? Does it need water? Does it breathe?” Have your child categorize the object as living or nonliving based on their answers.

You can extend the activity at home with an object sort. Cut or print out 5–10 images of living and non-living objects. Encourage your child to pick up each picture and classify it as either living or nonliving. Remind your child to ask for each object: “Does it eat? Does it need water? Does it breathe?” to help them make their determination.