What is this skill?
Every animal, from an ant to a whale, needs the same four things to live: food, water, air and shelter. Food gives an animal the energy to move and grow. Water keeps its body working. Air gives it the oxygen it breathes, and shelter is a safe place to rest and stay out of the weather and away from danger. First graders learn to name these needs and match them to examples.
In this practice a child answers short questions such as "What do animals breathe?" (air), "A bird builds a nest. What is it for?" (shelter) and "A rabbit eats grass. Grass is its ___." (food). A sort asks Need or just nice? with water, food, shelter and air on one side and a toy and a hat on the other, and another sorts food from shelter: leaves, a worm and a carrot against a shell, a burrow and a hollow log. Harder questions ask why a dog pants on a hot day (to cool down), which animal breathes with gills (a fish), why a whale swims up to the top of the ocean (to breathe air) and what a bird might do in winter if it cannot find bugs (fly somewhere with more food).
Why it matters
This is the base for habitats, food chains and ecosystems in later grades. A habitat is simply the place that gives an animal what it needs, so a child who knows the needs can reason about where an animal lives.
It is also the first step in caring for a pet. A first grader who can say "A pet needs food, water and a safe place every day" understands why the chores matter and is ready to help with them.
The skill also teaches a way of thinking: look at a behavior and ask what need it meets. A bird's nest, a dog's panting and a bear's den all have a reason.
Common mistakes
- Saying that all animals eat plants. Some eat plants, some eat other animals and some eat both. The practice includes a true-or-false question on this because it is a common belief.
- Thinking a fish does not need air because it lives in water. A fish gets the oxygen it needs from the water through its gills, and a whale is a mammal that comes up to breathe air.
- Counting toys and treats as needs. Ask "Could the animal live without it?" If it could, it is only nice to have.
- Confusing shelter with food, such as saying a burrow is something to eat. Say what each one is for: food is to eat, and shelter is to hide in or sleep in.
How to help at home
- Watch a pet or a bird feeder for ten minutes and ask your child to point out each need as it happens: eating, drinking, resting.
- Play "What does it use?" with different animals. A squirrel uses a tree hole, a bear uses a den and a bird uses a nest.
- Build a small shelter outdoors from sticks and leaves, and ask your child what animal might use it and why.
- At the library, find a picture book about one animal and have your child spot its food, water and shelter on the pages.
Worked examples
These are real questions from the Tutorsaurus what animals need practice, with the answers worked out.
Example 1
A bird builds a nest. What is it for?
Choices: 🎵 Music, 🍎 Food, 🏠 Shelter
Answer: Shelter. A nest is shelter. It keeps the bird and its eggs safe and warm.
Example 2
A pet needs food, water and a safe place every day.
Answer: True. True! Pets need food, fresh water and a safe, cozy place every single day.
Example 3
All animals eat plants.
Answer: False. False! Some animals, like lions, eat other animals. Some, like cows, eat plants. Bears eat both.
Printable worksheet (PDF) — one page of questions from this practice that work on paper, easier ones first, with an answer key on page 2. Free to print, no sign-up.