What Do They Eat?

Start with something students can look at or think about: a photo, a short video, a jar on the windowsill, or a question like "what do you already know about what animals eat?" Then let them work through the worksheet on their own or with a partner, keeping a word bank or anchor chart in view so the vocabulary stays available. When you review, ask students how they knew, and let them point to the part of the diagram or reading that told them. These what animals eat worksheets work well as a lead in before an investigation, as a way to capture what students noticed afterward, or as review before an assessment.

These what animals eat worksheets for 1st grade give students a clear, visual way to work through one of the big ideas in animals. Students label diagrams, sort and classify examples, read short explanations, and answer questions that ask them to say why, not just what. Each page keeps the science vocabulary front and center so students leave with the words they need to talk about what animals eat accurately. Working through what animals eat on paper gives 1st grade students something concrete to hold onto before, during, or after the hands on part of a lesson.

This worksheet is designed for 1st Grade students (Ages 6-7), aligned to NGSS standard 1-LS1-1. It can also be used as review for early students at the next grade level or as an introduction for advanced students.

Yes. This worksheet works for homeschool, classroom, and tutoring settings. Print individual pages for targeted practice, or print the full set as a packet. Works great as a morning warm-up, independent center activity, or fast-finisher task.

First graders learn that different animals eat different things, including plants, other animals, or both. They practice sorting animals by diet and begin to see connections between an animal's body features, like beak shape or teeth, and what it eats. This lays the groundwork for understanding food chains in later grades.

This topic is typically covered during a Grade 1 animals unit, often alongside lessons on habitats and animal groups. It connects to NGSS life science standards about organism needs and relationships within ecosystems.

Visit a zoo or look at animal pictures online and ask your child to guess what each animal eats based on its teeth, claws, or beak. Then use the worksheet to check their guesses and sort animals by diet. Turning observation into a guessing game keeps curious 6- and 7-year-olds engaged.