Ecosystems and Habitats Teaching Resources
Explore printable ecosystems worksheets, digital habitat activities and more for teaching this important element of the elementary and middle school science curriculum!
This collection of teacher resources was created by teachers to align with NGSS standards, providing you with everything you need to teach kids about biodiversity, habitats and more!
New to teaching about habitats and ecosystems in the primary classroom, or just looking for some fresh ways to engage your students on the topics? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a handy definitions for kids on each topic, plus a breakdown of the difference between these two important science terms.
What Is a Habitat? A Definition for Kids
Do you need a quick and easy way to explain the meaning of habitat to your students? Our teacher team has created a definition you can use in the classroom to do just that!
A habitat is a place where plants and animals live. It provides the things that they need to survive, like food, water and shelter.
5 Habitat Examples for Kids to Share in Your Classroom
This definition is a good starting point, but perhaps you're looking for a handy list of habitat examples you can share? We've got you covered with that too!
Please note that this list includes five of the planet's major habitats. Some scientists list as many as 16, however this list includes those our students are most likely to need to know about in primary school.
- Desert — The desert habitat is known for its dry and hot conditions, where animals such as the camel and plants such as cacti thrive. Some examples include the Gobi Desert in China and the Sahara Desert in Africa.
- Marine — Also known as the aquatic habitat, marine is larger of all habitats on the planet. Rivers, lakes, streams and, of course, the five oceans on planet Earth provide homes for a variety of marine animals live — from fish to whales to coral and much more.
- Polar — This habitat is found on the two ends of the earth, called the North and South Poles. Plants and animals that live in the polar habitat have adapted to its extreme cold temperatures.
- Forest – The forest habitat makes up nearly a third of the world's landmass. This habitat can be broken down into different types of forests, including the coniferous forests, coastal forests and tropical rainforests. The latter are known for being warm and very moist — just as the name implies, this habitat gets a lot of rain! The most famous of the world's rainforests is the Amazon which covers 2.6 million square miles.
- Grassland — One of the largest habitats in the world, grassland typically has moderate to warm weather and plenty of grass for animals to graze on.
What Is an Ecosystem? A Kid-Friendly Definition
We've covered the meaning of habitat, but what about ecosystem? Here's a definition from our teacher team to use in the classroom:
An ecosystem is a community of living organisms and nonliving things in a particular area. For example, an ecosystem can include plants, animals and microorganisms that are all living, as well as soil, water and sunlight, which are not.
The living and nonliving things in an ecosystem interact with each other and are interdependent.
Ecosystem vs. Habitat — What's the Difference?
These two science concepts are clearly interrelated, which can be confusing for students. So let's outline the differences.
Habitats
Kids can think of a habitat as a specific place where certain plants and animals live. A habitat is a home, and it's where those plants and animals have everything they need to survive — sort of like the things that students might find in the place where they live. There is shelter, food and water.
Ecosystems
On the other hand, it can be helpful for students to remember that an ecosystem is like a big, interconnected community of habitats.
An ecosystem also goes beyond just plant and animal life.
This larger system includes both living (plants and animals) and non-living (air, water) things. It also includes all the interactions and relationships between the living and non-living things within it.
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What Do Plants Need? Plant Habitat Interactive Game
Help some lost plants return to the correct habitat with a Google Slides interactive activity.
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2nd Grade Reading Passage & Worksheet- Being a Good Pet Parent
Print a 2nd grade reading comprehension passage and worksheet to teach comprehension skills and learn about being a good pet parent by limiting pets' impact on ecosystems.
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Ocean Animals Word Wall Cards with Pictures
Introduce your students to the amazing animals in the sea with an illustrated ocean animal word wall.
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Producer, Consumer, Decomposer - Poster
A poster explaining the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers in the food chain.
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Animals and Their Habitats - Sorting Activity
Discover the habitats that are home to Earth’s wildlife with a printable animal habitat sorting activity.
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Rainforest Bird Craft & Writing Template
Pair a fun bird craft and informational writing to create a fun jungle-themed bulletin board.
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In the Arctic - Free Decodable Book
Engage your students and inspire them to read and learn about life in the Arctic with a printable book for 2nd grade.
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Ecosystem Poster Pack
A set of 9 posters describing types of Terrestrial Ecosystems.
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Animals and Their Habitats - Cut and Paste Worksheets
Match the animals and their habitats with a pack of printable cut and paste worksheets.
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Animal Habitat Project PDF
An open-ended assessment task for students to demonstrate their understanding of living things and their needs.
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Tropical Rainforest Animal Adaptations Fact Template
Discover amazing rainforest animals’ adaptations and display your learning with miniature printable rainforest animal report templates.
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What Could Happen? Environmental Change Task Cards
Predict and identify the effects of environmental change on plants and animals with a set of printable science task cards.
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Plant and Animal Adaptations – Word Wall Vocabulary
Build scientific vocabulary skills with a printable display of words relating to plant and animal adaptations.
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What is Pollution? Instructional Slide Deck
Show your students the types of pollution and their effects with an instructional slide deck.
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Protecting Native Plants and Animals – Comprehension Worksheets
Build comprehension skills and learn about human impact on ecosystems with a reading passage and worksheets.
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Preschool Arctic Animal Lacing Cards
Help your students develop fine motor skills with a set of Preschool Arctic Animals lacing cards.
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Would You Rather? Animal Adaptations Game
Discuss and debate the best animal adaptations with the Would You Rather? Animal Adaptation game.
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Naked Mole Rats – Comprehension Worksheet
Read and learn facts about the naked mole rat with a printable reading comprehension worksheet pack for 5th grade.
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Who Would Win? - Plant Adaptation Interactive Game
Identify plants and plant adaptations that allow for survival in different environments with an exciting “Who Would Win?” showdown game!
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Living and Non-Living Things - Word Wall Vocabulary
Discover the world of living and nonliving things, starting with a printable vocabulary word wall..
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Human Impact on the Environment-Research Project
Uncover how humans positively and negatively impact the different biomes around the world with a guided research project.
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Amazon Rainforest Facts - Reading Passage
Read and learn about conservation with a reading passage and comprehension worksheet on the Amazon Rainforest.
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Animals and Their Habitats- Interactive Activity
Help a lost polar bear (and his friends) return to the correct habitat with a Google Slides interactive activity.
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Animals and Their Habitats - Cut and Match Worksheets
Match animals with their habitats with a set of cut and paste worksheets.
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World Biomes Map
Locate and explore the different biomes of the world with this engaging classroom poster.
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Characteristics of an Environment – Worksheet
Enhance your students’ comprehension and science skills by learning about the physical characteristics of different environments and how they support populations within an ecosystem.
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Desert Mini-Book - Printable Reader
Engage your students and inspire them to read and learn about plants and animals in the desert with a printable book for 2nd grade.
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Changes to the Environment Worksheet
Learn about environmental changes and how they affect living things with this worksheet.
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Animals Around the World - Word Mats
Discover the amazing animals on each continent and encourage global thinking with a pack of printable Animals Around the World Word Mats.
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Classification of Animals - Teaching Slides
Teach your students about the different classes of animals and their characteristics with an Animal Classification teaching presentation.
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Animals in Winter - Kindergarten Science Worksheet
Cut and sort animals that hibernate, migrate, and adapt with an ‘Animals in Winter’ sorting activity.
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Animals in Winter - Adaptations Mini Book
Discover the amazing adaptations of animals in winter with a printable mini-book.
- Ecosystems and Habitats Worksheets
- Ecosystems and Habitats for Kindergarten
- Ecosystems and Habitats for 1st Grade
- Ecosystems and Habitats for 2nd Grade
- Ecosystems and Habitats for 3rd Grade
- Ecosystems and Habitats for 4th Grade
- Ecosystems and Habitats for 5th Grade
- Ecosystems and Habitats for 6th Grade