Discover the Fascinating World of Mammals with Four Creative Activities
Introduce young learners to the amazing world of mammals with this engaging Year 1 resource featuring four hands-on activities that combine science learning with art and creativity to explore these warm-blooded creatures.
Four Complete Activities Included:
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Mammals Poster: Create an informative poster showcasing different mammals! Children learn about cats, dogs, rabbits, horses, humans, and other mammals while developing research skills and understanding what makes mammals unique from other animal groups
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Label The Mammal: Explore mammal anatomy by labelling body parts on diagrams! Learn about fur or hair, ears, eyes, legs, tails, and other features that help mammals survive in their habitats, developing scientific vocabulary and observation skills
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Mammal Diets: Investigate what different mammals eat! Discover that some mammals are carnivores (meat-eaters), some are herbivores (plant-eaters), and some are omnivores (eat both), understanding how diet relates to teeth, habitat, and behaviour
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Mammal Fur Patterns: Get creative exploring the beautiful patterns and colours of mammal fur! Create artwork inspired by stripes, spots, and patches found on zebras, leopards, giraffes, and other mammals, combining art with scientific observation
Why Teachers Choose This Resource:
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Curriculum-Aligned: Fully supports Year 1 Science objectives for animals including humans in the National Curriculum of England
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Cross-Curricular Excellence: Seamlessly combines Science and Art & Design objectives
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Hands-On Learning: Practical activities that make learning about mammals engaging and memorable
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Ready to Use: Complete lesson plans with learning objectives, templates, and step-by-step instructions
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Age-Appropriate: Activities specifically designed for 5-6 year olds with achievable, engaging tasks
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Develops Key Skills: Builds scientific knowledge, artistic techniques, and classification abilities
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Accessible Content: Uses familiar animals that children know and can relate to
Perfect For:
- Year 1 Science lessons on animals including humans
- Key Stage 1 animal classification teaching
- Homeschool science and art curriculum
- Cross-curricular animal-themed topic work
- Building understanding of animal groups and characteristics
- Developing observational and creative skills
Learning Outcomes:
Through these activities, children will identify and name a variety of common mammals, describe and compare the structure of mammals, understand what mammals eat and how they are suited to their diet, recognize the key characteristics that make an animal a mammal (fur or hair, warm-blooded, give birth to live young, feed babies milk), and develop scientific vocabulary related to mammals and animal classification.
What Makes This Resource Special:
Mammals are everywhere—from pets at home to animals in the zoo—making them the perfect starting point for learning about animal classification. These activities help children understand that humans are mammals too, connecting scientific learning to their own lives while exploring the incredible diversity of this animal group through both scientific investigation and creative expression.
Building Classification Skills:
Understanding animal groups is fundamental to biology. By focusing on mammals' distinctive features—fur or hair, warm blood, live birth, milk production—children develop classification skills and learn to observe carefully, compare characteristics, and understand what makes different animal groups unique. These foundational concepts support all future biology learning.
Connecting Science and Art:
The fur pattern activity beautifully demonstrates how science and art connect. By observing and recreating the stripes, spots, and colours of mammal fur, children develop both scientific observation skills and artistic abilities while appreciating the natural beauty and diversity of the animal kingdom.
Bring mammals to life in your Year 1 classroom! These engaging activities help young children discover the fascinating world of mammals through creative, hands-on approaches that combine science learning with art and design—building knowledge, curiosity, and enthusiasm for the animal world around them.
