All Reception units are built around the disciplinary knowledge children need to develop for Year 1 and beyond. Each lesson explores a different skill:
🌡️ Lesson 1: Finding Similarities and Differences
🌡️Lesson 2: Asking Where Animals Live (Being Curious and Asking Questions)
🌡️ Lesson 3: Finding the Best Places for Animals to Live (Performing Simple Tests and Using Equipment)
🌡️ Lesson 4: Using My Senses (Using Senses to Observe and Look Closely)
🌡️ Lesson 5: How Living Things Change (Looking Closely and Noticing Changes)
🌡️ Lesson 6: Making Simple Records and Talking About Observations
Two further skills are taught throughout the lessons:
✅ Talking about what I have done and noticed
✅ Sorting and matching things
The substantive knowledge this unit explores is animals and their habitats and is taken from the Early Learning Goal: The Natural World – Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants.
The unit has been designed to be taught at any point throughout the year and can be adapted to suit a particular topic, or taught as stand-alone lessons.
Each lesson has a short carpet input and then three activities: One is a teacher-led activity to be completed in small groups, two are play-based activities which can children can interact with independently or with support from a teaching assistant. There are optional ideas for continuous provision which link to each lesson.
Where children lead in their learning within play, they should not be expected to use the resources exactly as a teacher sees fit. By its nature, play-based learning involves children using their natural curiosity to interact with objects in a manner that suits their personal learning needs and preferences.
Where the independent task is differentiated, it is done so on a star system, where two stars is aimed at children who meet the expected level in science, one star is for those below the expected level and three stars is for those exceeding the expected level.
Support early scientific thinking with our Reception science unit on Animals and Their Habitats. Part of the Scintillating Science programme, this enquiry-based scheme is aligned with the EYFS Framework and supports learning across key areas of development. Designed specifically for Reception, this unit helps young children explore different animals, where they live, and how they survive in their natural environments.
Perfect for whole-class or small-group teaching, this topic helps children make meaningful connections between the natural world and their own experiences. With a mix of structured sessions, play-based learning, and outdoor exploration, children will build key skills in observation, language, and early enquiry.
Our EYFS science resources provide everything you need for high-quality Reception science teaching:
This unit supports the EYFS area of Understanding the World by helping children:
Activities are designed to encourage questioning and discovery. Children will:
Practical learning is balanced with opportunities for role-play, outdoor learning, and group discussion.
Help children explore the natural world with our engaging EYFS science unit on Animals and Their Habitats. Free trial available.
