The Natural World
Reception · Science
Look closely at animals, plants, weather and changes.
Choose a game
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Animal or plant?
Is a ladybird an animal or a plant? Sort things you find outside in this free Reception science game.
Play Animal or plant?The four seasons
Lambs in spring, conkers in autumn: sort pictures into the four seasons in this free Reception science game.
Play The four seasonsMelt or freeze?
Does an ice lolly melt or freeze on a hot day? Sort warm and cold changes in this free Reception science game.
Play Melt or freeze?
Learning about the natural world
These Reception Science games practise Animal or plant?, The four seasons, Melt or freeze?. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Go outside and look for real examples: a leaf, a puddle, a snail. Read the cards aloud and talk about each choice.
Ask: “What did you notice?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
Animal or plant?
Animals and plants are living things. Animals move about and find food; plants grow in one place and need light and water.
Try an example: 🐌 snail
A snail moves slowly and eats leaves.
Show the answer
Animal
What to look out for
Thinking only big things are animals Insects, snails and worms are animals too.
The four seasons
There are four seasons in the UK: spring, summer, autumn and winter. The weather, plants and animals change with each one.
Try an example: 🐣 Chicks hatch
Baby animals are born in spring.
Show the answer
Spring
What to look out for
Mixing up spring and autumn Spring has new growth; autumn has falling leaves.
Melt or freeze?
When things get warm, ice, chocolate and butter melt. When water gets very cold, it freezes into ice.
Try an example: 🧊 An ice cube in the sun
The sun warms it up.
Show the answer
Melts
What to look out for
Thinking freezing means getting cold Freezing is when a liquid turns solid.
Practise away from the screen
- Go on a walk and sort what you see into animals and plants.
- Look out of the window and talk about the season now.
- Freeze juice into lollies, then watch one melt.
Curriculum connections
These games support selected practice connected to the The Natural World early learning goal in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework for England. The goals describe what children are expected to know and do by the end of Reception. A game offers a few playful examples; it does not assess a goal.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with the natural world?
Start with Animal or plant?. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. These games give short, playful practice. Reception learning is mostly hands-on play, talk and stories, so use the games alongside those, not instead of them.