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 first item together as a class, then finish the rest independently 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.

Yes, both. We made it for 1st Grade animals, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with what animals eat. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

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.

20 printable worksheets, all free to preview. Downloads are included with a ClassWeekly free trial, and every page prints on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.

These are written for 1st Grade students, roughly ages 6-7. Many teachers also use them a grade up for review or a grade down as an extension, so use the preview to judge the fit for a particular child.

Yes. Each one shows the NGSS code it covers on its own page, so you can check the alignment yourself rather than taking our word for it.

Yes. Nothing here assumes a classroom of 25, so they work the same one-to-one at the kitchen table as they do in a 1st Grade classroom, a literacy centre, or a tutoring session.