Animal groups: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals: what children learn
Scientists sort animals with a backbone into five big groups: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. In Year 1, children learn to name common animals and say which group each one belongs to. This game shows an animal and asks for its group, or names a group and asks which animal belongs in it.
The groups are based on things children can see or find out. Fish have gills and fins. Amphibians, such as frogs and newts, have smooth, damp skin and start life in water. Reptiles have dry, scaly skin. Birds are the only animals with feathers. Mammals have hair or fur and feed their babies milk. Once children know these clues, the tricky animals become fun to explain: a whale lives in the sea but is a mammal, a penguin cannot fly but is still a bird, and a bat flies but is not a bird.
This topic covers the Year 1 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Animals, including humans): pupils should be taught to “identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals”. Year 1 pupils are usually aged 5–6.
There is no direct equivalent in the US Common Core State Standards.
How to play
Answer 10 questions before the clock runs out. Tap an answer, or press 1 to 4. Each game has 10 multiple-choice questions and a 120-second timer. A wrong answer shows the correct one before moving on. You earn up to three stars depending on your score.
Step by step
- Look at the outside. Ask what covers the animal: fur or hair, feathers, dry scales, or smooth damp skin. This one clue sorts most animals straight away.
- Check for feathers. If it has feathers, it is a bird. Every bird has feathers and no other animal does, even birds that cannot fly.
- Ask how it breathes. Fish breathe underwater through gills. Whales and dolphins swim but come up to breathe air, which is a clue that they are not fish.
- Ask how babies are fed. Mammals feed their babies milk. Dogs, horses, bats, whales and people are all mammals.
- Think about water and land. Amphibians usually start life in water (frogspawn and tadpoles) and live on land and in water as adults. Reptiles lay eggs on land.
Worked examples
Example 1: What kind of animal is a whale?
Working: A whale lives in the sea, which makes it look like a fish. But it breathes air and feeds its baby milk.
Answer: A mammal.
Example 2: Which of these animals is an amphibian: snake, newt, robin or goldfish?
Working: A snake has dry scales (reptile), a robin has feathers (bird) and a goldfish has gills (fish). A newt has smooth, damp skin and starts life in water.
Answer: The newt.
Example 3: What kind of animal is a penguin?
Working: A penguin cannot fly, but it is covered in feathers, has a beak and lays eggs.
Answer: A bird.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Thinking every animal that swims is a fish. Talk about breathing. Fish use gills; whales, dolphins and seals come up for air, and they are mammals.
- Thinking every animal that flies is a bird. Bats fly but have fur and feed their babies milk, so they are mammals. Only birds have feathers.
- Mixing up amphibians and reptiles. Compare a newt and a lizard. The newt has smooth, damp skin (amphibian); the lizard has dry, scaly skin (reptile).
- Leaving people out. Children are often surprised that humans are animals too. We have hair and babies drink milk, so we are mammals.
Activities to try at home
- On a walk or at the park, count the birds, mammals and minibeasts you see. Which group wins?
- Sort soft toys or animal pictures into five piles: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
- Play "I am thinking of an animal": give one clue at a time (I have feathers… I cannot fly…) until your child guesses.
- Print the worksheet and ask your child to explain one answer to you using a clue, such as "It has feathers."
Ideas for the classroom
- Make five hoops on the floor, one per group, and give each pupil an animal card to place and explain.
- Show close-up photos of skin, scales, feathers and fur and ask pupils to name the group from the covering alone.
- Run a "true or false" round with tricky animals: whale, bat, penguin, shark, newt.
- Use the game as a starter and ask pupils to write the clue that helped them on a mini whiteboard.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a colour-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
Are insects in one of these groups?
No. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are the five groups of animals with a backbone. Insects, spiders, worms and snails have no backbone; children meet them as minibeasts and, in Year 6, as invertebrates.
Is a shark a fish or a mammal?
A shark is a fish. It breathes through gills and has fins. Dolphins and whales look similar but are mammals.
Why does the game only use common animals?
The curriculum asks Year 1 pupils to identify and name common animals. Unusual animals such as the platypus are fascinating, but they are better as a talking point once the groups are secure.