About Living and Non-Living Things for Kids - Science Chapter 1

Have you ever looked around and wondered why some things move, grow, and need food, while others stay still and never change? The world around us is full of amazing things, but not all of them are alive. Things that are alive are called living things, and things that are not alive are called non-living things.

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Living things include humans, animals, birds, insects, and plants. They can move, eat, breathe, feel, grow, and even have babies! Non-living things, like toys, chairs, stones, and water bottles, cannot do these things.

In this blog, we will learn how to tell living things from non-living things, understand their special features, and discover why living things are so important for life on Earth. By the end, you will be able to easily spot the difference between what is alive and what is not, and learn some fun facts about the world around you!

Living and Non-Living Things

Our surroundings are full of many wonderful things. Some of them are alive, like people, animals, birds, and plants. Others are not alive, like books, chairs, toys, and stones. To make it easy to understand, we divide everything into living things and non-living things.

Living things are those that show special features such as moving, eating, breathing, growing, reproducing, and feeling. Non-living things do not show any of these features. Let us learn in detail about the different characteristics of living things.

Living Things Move

Movement is the first feature of living things. Animals and humans can walk, run, jump, fly, or swim. Birds flap their wings to fly, fishes use their fins and tails to swim, and dogs and cats use their legs to move around.

Plants do not move from one place to another, but they show small movements. A sunflower plant turns towards the sun during the day. The leaves of the touch-me-not plant fold up when touched. The climbers grow towards sunlight, and roots move downward into the soil. These small movements tell us that plants are also living.

Living Things Need Food

All living beings need food to live. Food gives us energy to work, play, and grow. Humans eat fruits, vegetables, grains, and other foods. Animals also eat food according to their type. Cows eat grass, lions eat meat, and birds eat seeds and insects.

Plants are special because they can make their own food. With the help of sunlight, water, and air, green plants prepare food in their leaves. This process is called photosynthesis. Without food, no living being can survive.

Living Things Breathe

Breathing is another important feature of living things. Every living being needs air.

• Humans and animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide.
• Fishes and some water animals breathe through gills.
• Insects breathe through small holes in their bodies called spiracles.
• Plants also breathe. They take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen during the day, and they breathe in oxygen at night. They use tiny holes on their leaves called stomata for this process.
• Without breathing, no living being can stay alive.

Living Things Feel

Living things can sense and feel changes around them. Humans and animals have sense organs: eyes to see, ears to hear, nose to smell, tongue to taste, and skin to feel. For example, we feel hot or cold, we can hear music, and we can smell flowers.

Plants do not have sense organs like us, but they also respond to their surroundings. For example, the sunflower follows the direction of sunlight, and the touch-me-not plant closes its leaves when touched.

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Living Things Grow

All living things grow. Growth is a sign of life.

• A baby grows into a child and then into an adult.
• A kitten grows into a cat.
• A seed grows into a big tree.
• Non-living things never grow. A toy car will remain the same size, and a rock will not become bigger by itself. Growth happens only in living things.

Living Things Reproduce

Reproduction means producing more of their own kind. All living things can reproduce.

• Humans and animals give birth to babies.
• Birds lay eggs that hatch into chicks.
• Plants reproduce through seeds, fruits, or other parts like stems, leaves, or roots. For example, a mango tree grows from a mango seed, and a rose plant can grow from a stem cutting.
• This ensures that living beings continue to exist on Earth.

Living Things Have a Lifespan

Every living thing has a lifespan. They are born, they grow, they live for some time, and finally, they die.

• Human beings live for many years.
• Dogs and cats live for around 10–15 years.
• Some insects like butterflies and mosquitoes live only for a few weeks or days.
• Non-living things do not have a lifespan. A chair, a ball, or a pencil may break or get damaged, but they never “die” like living things.

Living Things Give Out Waste

All living beings produce waste that must be removed from their bodies.

• Humans and animals give out waste like urine, sweat, and stool.
• Plants also remove waste. They release extra water through a process called transpiration. Sometimes plants store waste in their leaves, gums, or resins.
• This process keeps their bodies clean and healthy. Non-living things never produce or give out waste.

Differences Between Living and Non-Living Things

Now that we have learned about the special features of living things, let us compare them with non-living things.

• Living things move, while non-living things cannot move on their own.
• Living things need food and water, but non-living things do not eat or drink.
• Living things breathe, but non-living things do not.
• Living things can feel, grow, and reproduce, while non-living things cannot.
• Living things have a lifespan, but non-living things do not.
• Living things give out waste, while non-living things never do.

Examples:

• A cow, a tree, and a fish are living things.
• A chair, a stone, and a pencil are non-living things.

Living things make our world bright and full of energy. They grow, move, eat, breathe, feel, reproduce, and have a limited lifespan. Non-living things, on the other hand, are useful to us but do not show any of these features. By observing these differences, we can easily tell whether something is living or non-living.

Class 3 ICSE – Worksheet: Living and Non-living Things

Part A: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. Which of the following is a living thing?
   a) Rock
   b) Tree
   c) Car
   d) Chair

2. Which of these is a non-living thing?
   a) Dog
   b) Flower
   c) Pencil
   d) Fish

3. Living things can:
   a) Grow
   b) Sleep
   c) Move
   d) All of the above

4. Non-living things:
   a) Need food
   b) Can breathe
   c) Do not grow
   d) Reproduce

Answers:

1. b) Tree
2. c) Pencil
3. d) All of the above
4. c) Do not grow

Part B: Give 2 Examples Each

1. Living things: __________, __________
2. Non-living things: __________, __________
3. Things that can move on their own: __________, __________
4. Things that cannot move on their own: __________, __________

Answers:

1. Dog, Tree
2. Rock, Book
3. Cat, Fish
4. Chair, Pencil

Part C: Fill in the Blanks

1. Animals, plants, and humans are __________ things.
2. Rocks, water, and books are __________ things.
3. Living things need __________ to survive.
4. Non-living things do not have __________.

Answers:

1. living
2. non-living
3. food/water
4. life

Part D: True or False

1. All living things can move.
2. Non-living things can grow on their own.
3. Plants are living things.
4. Books are living things.

Answers:

1. True
2. False
3. True
4. False

Part E: Match the Following

Living Things	Non-Living Things
1. Dog	a. Car
2. Tree	b. Stone
3. Fish	c. Chair
4. Human	d. House

Answers:
1 → a
2 → b
3 → c
4 → d

Part F: Think and Answer

1. A tree grows slowly, but a stone does not. Why?
2. Why do we call plants living even though they do not move like animals?
3. If a toy car can move, is it living? Why or why not?
4. How do living things respond to their surroundings? Give an example.

Answers:

1. Because a tree is a living thing; it grows, needs water, and can reproduce. A stone is non-living, so it does not grow.
2. Plants are living because they grow, need water, reproduce, and respond to sunlight.
3. No, a toy car is non-living because it does not grow, eat, or reproduce on its own.
4. Living things respond to their surroundings; e.g., a plant bends toward sunlight.

Part G: Do-It Science / Practical Activity

1. Place a bean seed in a wet cotton and observe daily. Write 3 things you notice.
2. Collect 3 objects from your classroom and identify if they are living or non-living.

Sample Answers:

• Activity 1 Observations: Seed swells, roots appear, stem grows.
• Activity 2 Answers: Pen – Non-living, Flower – Living, Chair – Non-living

Part H: Life Skills Questions

1. Why is it important to take care of living things like plants and animals?
2. How can you help prevent harm to non-living things in your surroundings?

Answers:

1. Living things need care to survive; taking care of plants and animals helps keep the environment healthy.
2. By handling objects carefully, avoiding littering, and keeping surroundings clean.

Part I: Integration with Other Subjects

Math Integration:
Count 5 living and 5 non-living things in your room and make a table.

English Integration:
Write 5 sentences about a plant describing how it grows and survives.

Art Integration:
Draw a chart showing 3 living things and 3 non-living things.

Part J: Chart / Diagram Activity

1. Draw a table with two columns: Living and Non-Living Things. Write 5 examples in each.
2. Draw and color one living thing and one non-living thing.