What Plants Need

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 plants need?" 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 plants need 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 plants need worksheets for 1st grade give students a clear, visual way to work through one of the big ideas in plants. 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 plants need accurately. Working through what plants need 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 plants, 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 plants need. 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 plants are living things with specific needs that must be met for them to survive and grow. They explore how sunlight powers food-making in leaves, how roots draw up water and minerals, and why plants wilt or yellow when something is missing. Understanding plant needs lays groundwork for ecosystems and food chains later on.

This topic is usually covered early in a Grade 1 plants unit, often as an introduction before students begin growing their own plants. It connects to NGSS life science standards about the needs of living organisms.

Use a houseplant or small garden to bring these worksheets to life. Try moving a plant to a dark spot for a few days and ask your child to predict and observe what changes. Worksheet activities pair naturally with simple experiments that show what happens when one need is removed.

5 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.