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Grade 1 life science

Grade 1 Living and Nonliving Word Search

Science Word Search Printable • Grade 1

Sorting living and nonliving things encourages children to look for evidence instead of guessing by appearance. The printable introduces useful words such as living, nonliving, growth, air, water, rock, and soil.

Start with the printable

Preview of Living and Nonliving Things Word Search
Living and Nonliving Things Word Search

Use the words before and after the puzzle

Before solving, ask your child to circle unfamiliar words in the list. Afterward, choose three words to explain, draw, or use in a science sentence. Open the printable PDF below when you are ready.

Open printable PDFOpen answer key

What children can practice

  • Sort familiar examples into living and nonliving groups.
  • Name basic needs and characteristics shared by living things.
  • Use an observation to explain why an example belongs in a group.

For parents and homeschool

Sort ten things around you

Make two headings on paper: “living” and “nonliving.” Then look around indoors or outside.

  1. Step 1

    List or draw ten things you can observe without disturbing them.

  2. Step 2

    Place each example under a heading and explain one choice.

  3. Step 3

    Circle any tricky example and decide what additional information would help.

Also useful for teachers

A quick classroom adaptation

After the word search, give groups picture cards to sort. Ask them to defend one difficult choice with a complete sentence, then revise the class rules for identifying living things.

Questions to talk about