# Living Things and Their Needs

- Link: https://thecuriosi.com/lessons/living-things-needs/
- Published: 2026-10-31T22:59:15+05:30
- Author: MAHENDRA MANCHIKALAPATI

1. [Courses](https://thecuriosi.com/courses/)
 2. [Plants and Animals: Living Things](https://thecuriosi.com/courses/living-nonliving-plants-animals/)
 3.  Lesson 1 of 8

Look around you. You may see a plant, a pet, a chair, and a toy car. Some are living
things, and some are nonliving objects. Today you will learn clues that help you
tell them apart.

## What makes something living?

Living things grow and change during their lives. They use what they need from their
surroundings. Plants and animals are living things. A young plant can grow taller.
A puppy can grow into an adult dog. Living things also make more living things of
their kind, though this is not something we need to see during one lesson.

### Living does not always mean moving

A toy car can move when someone pushes it, but it is not alive. A tree may stay 
in one place, but it is alive and growing. Look for more than movement when you 
decide whether something is living.

## Living, nonliving, and once living

A rock and a chair are nonliving. A wooden table is nonliving now, even though its
wood came from a tree that once lived. A dry leaf that has fallen from a plant is
no longer living, even though it came from a living thing. These examples help us
see that “came from something living” and “is living now” are different ideas.

### Example from a garden

In a garden, a growing plant and a small insect are living. A watering can, a stone,
and a fence are nonliving. The watering can helps a person care for a plant, but
it does not grow or need water to live.

## Living things have different needs

Animals need food, water, and air. They also need a safe place to live. Plants need
water, air, and light, and they grow in places that provide what they need. Different
kinds of plants and animals may have different needs. A cactus and a pond plant 
do not live in exactly the same place.

Observe from a safe distance. Do not touch an unknown animal or pull up a plant.
You can point, describe, and ask a trusted adult about what you see.

## Key takeaways

 * Plants and animals are living things.
 * Living things grow and change and have needs.
 * A moving toy is not alive, and a tree can be alive without moving place to place.
 * Some objects came from living things but are nonliving now.

## Practice

Sort these examples into living and nonliving now: a growing flower, a rock, a toy
dog, and a bird.

**Answers:** The growing flower and bird are living. The rock and toy dog are nonliving.

 [Log in](https://thecuriosi.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fthecuriosi.com%2Flessons%2Fliving-things-needs%2F)
to mark lessons complete and track your progress.

 [ Next lesson Explore the Parts of a Plant ](https://thecuriosi.com/lessons/plant-parts/)

 [Back to course overview](https://thecuriosi.com/courses/living-nonliving-plants-animals/)

Share this