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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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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A House for Hermit Crab Activity Pack
Explore how an animal’s habitat meets its needs with an engaging ‘A House for Hermit Crab’ activity pack.
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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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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 Innovation and Environmental Conservation Teaching Slides
Teach your students how human innovation is helping conserve the environment with this teaching presentation perfect for upper elementary students.
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Biodiversity in a Habitat – Inquiry-Based Project
Use this biodiversity project to teach your students about the importance of species survival to life on Earth.
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Animals that Use Camouflage - Fact File Cards
Discover animals that camouflage to survive using these printable Animal Fact File cards.
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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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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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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
Introduce your students to the different types of ecosystems with a set of printable Ecosystem posters.
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Species Survival Scenario Task Cards
Explore how to save endangered species with this set of 16 species survival scenario cards.
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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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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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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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Winter Animals Coloring Page Booklet
Engage your little learners and build vocabulary skills with a printable winter animals coloring book.
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Ocean & Marine Word Wall Vocabulary
64 marine life word wall vocabulary cards.
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Free Printable Nature Scavenger Hunt
Make outdoor play a learning opportunity with our free printable nature scavenger hunt PDF.
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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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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 - Sorting Activity
Discover the habitats that are home to Earth’s wildlife with a printable animal habitat sorting activity.
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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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Changes to the Environment Worksheet
Learn about environmental changes and how they affect living things with this worksheet.
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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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Endangered Species Fact Cards
Explore 64 species and subspecies that are on the critically endangered list with this set of fact cards.
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Comparing Plant and Animal Needs Venn Diagram Worksheets
Compare the needs of plants and animals (including humans) with a set of Plant and Animal Needs Venn Diagram worksheets.
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Producer, Consumer, or Decomposer? Activity - Outdoor Search and Find
Explore animal roles in habitats in the field with a search-and-find Producers, Consumers, Decomposers activity.
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What’s My Habitat? Prediction Task Cards
Explore animal features and improve science inquiry skills with printable Habitat Prediction Task Cards.
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Printable Worksheets About Bees - 2nd Grade
Use our 2nd grade worksheets about bees to discover what there is to know about bees, how they help plants, and how they make honey.
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Science Sparks - 4th Grade Science Activities
Give your students a little science boost with Science Sparks 4 – our newest set of fast finisher science activities for 4th grade!
- 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