Animals & Growing Things (EYFS)

Inside Animals & Growing Things (EYFS)

baby animals and their grown-ups (a lamb grows into a sheep, a chick into a hen, a puppy into a dog), where animals live, what a seed needs to grow — water and light — the seed-to-flower story, and how we look after pets and plants. About 20 gentle minutes with a grown-up.

Learning objectives

• match baby animals to their grown-ups — lamb and sheep, chick and hen, puppy and dog;
• talk about where animals live — on the farm, in our homes as pets, and in the wild;
• name what a seed needs to grow — water and light;
• tell the seed-to-flower story in order — seed, shoot, then flower;
• practise caring for living things — feeding, watering and being gentle with pets and plants.

Activities in this book

1. Play 1 — Baby Animals & Their Grown-Ups

   say the baby animal's name out loud, then think about who looks after it. Making the animal sounds together — baa, cluck, woof — makes this even more fun!

2. Play 2 — What Does a Seed Need?

   think about what you need when you are thirsty, and where plants like to sit — near a sunny window! Plants need a drink and light to grow big and strong.

3. Play 3 — Where Do Animals Live?

   chat about animals you have seen — at home, on a farm visit, in books or on walks. There are lots of good answers here, so let your child do the talking!

4. Play 4 — From Seed to Flower

   act it out! Curl up small like a seed, slowly stretch up as the shoot grows, then open your arms wide like a flower. Then draw the story in order.

5. Play 5 — Caring for Pets & Plants at Home

   watering a plant, filling a pet's bowl or topping up a bird feeder are perfect little caring jobs. Notice together and have fun — there is no wrong answer here.

Suggestions for teaching

• Use real things. Soft toys, pets, garden plants and picture books make every idea touchable and real.
• Animal babies. Say the pairs out loud together — lamb and sheep, chick and hen, puppy and dog — and make the animal sounds for each one.
• Animal homes. On walks or in books, ask "where does this animal live?" and "what does it need?" — farm, home or wild.
• Growing seeds. Plant cress on damp cotton wool on a sunny windowsill — it sprouts in days, so children can see that water and light really do the work.
• Seed to flower. Act the story with your bodies — curl up as the seed, stretch up as the shoot, open arms as the flower — then draw it in order.