ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel TutoringHour Living and Nonliving Things for Kids | Difference between Living and Nonliving Things
Have you ever wondered about the world around you? It’s full of all sorts of things, and we can divide them into two groups: living things and nonliving things. Let’s explore what makes them different!
Living things can move! Animals like dogs and cats run and jump. Even plants move by turning toward the sun to get more light. Nonliving things, like your toys or a chair, don’t move by themselves. They only move if someone pushes or pulls them.
Living things grow! A tiny puppy grows into a big dog, and a small seed grows into a tall tree. Nonliving things, like your favorite toy car, stay the same size forever. They don’t grow or change on their own.
Living things need food to live. Animals and humans eat plants or other animals. Plants make their own food using sunlight. Nonliving things, like a rock or a book, don’t need food. Imagine if your plate ate your pizza—that would be silly!
Living things breathe. You breathe in air, and so do animals and plants. Nonliving things, like a table or a cup, don’t breathe. They don’t need air to survive.
Living things can feel things. You can feel happy, sad, or even ticklish! But nonliving things, like a ball or a door, don’t have feelings. They don’t get sad or happy.
Living things can make more of themselves. A mama duck lays eggs, and soon little ducklings hatch. Plants make seeds that grow into new plants. Nonliving things, like a pencil or a shoe, can’t make more of themselves.
So, let’s remember the differences: living things move, grow, need food, breathe, feel, and reproduce. Nonliving things don’t do any of these things. Isn’t it amazing how the world is full of such interesting things?
Now that you know all about living and nonliving things, you can explore more and see what you can find around you!
Living Things Scavenger Hunt: Go on a scavenger hunt in your backyard or a nearby park. Look for examples of living things and nonliving things. Can you find a plant, an animal, and something that doesn’t move on its own? Draw a picture of each thing you find and share it with your class. Discuss why each item is living or nonliving.
Plant a Seed: Plant a seed in a small pot and observe it over time. Keep a journal and draw pictures of how it changes as it grows. Talk about what the seed needs to grow and how it shows that it is a living thing. What happens if you forget to water it?
Role-Playing Game: Pretend to be different living and nonliving things. Take turns with your friends acting out what a living thing does, like growing or moving, and what a nonliving thing does, like staying still. Can your friends guess what you are pretending to be?
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Living and non-living things: the world around us is divided into living and non-living things. There are certain features that differentiate a living thing from a non-living thing.
Let’s take a look at the first feature: living things move while non-living things don’t unless a force is applied to them. Animals, humans, and plants can all move. Plants can move, although they do not move from one place to another; they show movement by turning toward the sun. However, a table or a book stays where it is unless somebody moves it; they are non-living things.
Let’s move on to the next feature: living things grow, and non-living things do not grow. A puppy grows into a dog, a tadpole hatches out of the egg and soon becomes a frog, and a seed grows into a sapling and then into a tree. But the size of your toy doesn’t change, nor does your car become bigger or smaller.
Here’s the next feature: living things need food, and non-living things do not need food. Animals and humans depend on plants and other animals for their food. Plants also need food, but they make their own food. Non-living things, on the other hand, do not need food to survive.
Imagine if a plate gobbled up your pizza or a glass slurped up your juice—that would be funny, wouldn’t it? But the plate and glass are non-living things; they do not eat.
What is the next feature that sets living things apart from non-living things? Living things breathe, while non-living things do not breathe. Animals, plants, and humans breathe, while non-living things like a vase and a box don’t breathe.
What is the next difference between living and non-living things? Living things feel, while non-living things do not. You feel happy, sad, hot, or cold, but a door doesn’t feel sad when you lock it, nor does a ball cry in pain when you kick it.
That’s not all! Here’s the next difference between living things and non-living things: living things reproduce, while non-living things do not reproduce. A mama duck lays eggs, and little ducklings hatch out of them. A cat gives birth to little kittens, which grow on to become cats. A plant produces seeds that grow on to become plants, but non-living things do not reproduce.
Before we wrap up, let’s recap the differences between living and non-living things.
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