Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Fun Animal Facts
- StageEarly Years
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Fun Animal Facts is a free printable sheet of animal facts for children. It covers animals big and small, from the biggest blue whale to the tiniest flea. It is made for adults and children to read and learn from together.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print the sheet, find a comfortable spot and read it together.
What is on the sheet
This sheet is a collection of fun facts about animals, from the very large to the very small. Children read and learn the facts, and the blurb invites adults to learn alongside them. Nothing on it needs to be rushed. You can read a little, stop to talk, look at a picture of an animal, and carry on whenever you like.
Ways to get more from the facts
Read aloud together
Take turns reading. Younger children can listen and look at pictures of the animals. Older children can read a fact to you and say it again in their own words.
Stop and wonder
After a fact that catches your child's interest, pause. Ask what they think it would be like to be that animal, or how it might live day to day.
Look it up
If a fact raises a question, find a library book or a trusted children's website and look for more. Let your child lead the search.
Share it
Ask your child to teach one fact to someone else, such as a grandparent, a sibling or a friend. Explaining something is a good way to remember it.
Why animal facts work so well with children
Animals are one of the first things children notice and ask about. Pets, birds in the garden, insects on a path and animals in picture books all spark questions. Scientists sort animals into groups, such as mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Learning a few simple facts gives children a way to start noticing how animals are alike and how they differ.
Animals come in an enormous range of sizes. Some are tiny enough to sit on a fingertip. Others are far bigger than a house. Comparing very big and very small animals helps children think about size, and helps them see that every animal has a way of living that suits its body and home. Real facts also teach children that surprising things can be true.
Quick animal facts to share
- Insects have six legs.
- All birds have feathers.
- Mammals feed their young on milk.
- Fish breathe underwater using gills.
- Animals live in many different habitats, such as woodland, oceans, deserts and ponds.
Skills and curriculum link
- Reading for information
- Listening and talking
- Asking questions
- Comparing sizes
- Using new words
- Curiosity about the natural world
Making animal facts stick
- Picture itLook at a photo or drawing of the animal while you talk. A clear image helps a fact feel real.
- Compare itLink a fact to something your child knows. Ask whether an animal is bigger or smaller than a pet, a chair or a bus.
- Act it outMove like the animal. Stretch tall, curl up small, flap, wriggle or swim. Moving helps children remember.
- Check itShow your child how to check a surprising fact in a second trusted book or website. It builds good habits for finding out the truth.
Key words
- FactSomething that is true and can be checked.
- HabitatThe natural place where an animal lives.
- MammalAn animal that feeds its young on milk and usually has fur or hair.
- InsectA small animal with six legs and three main body parts.
- PredatorAn animal that hunts other animals for food.
- PreyAn animal that is hunted by another animal for food.
How to use it
- Print the sheet and find a quiet, comfortable place to sit together.
- Read the facts aloud, taking turns if your child enjoys reading. Stop whenever a fact sparks a question.
- Talk about what you have read. Ask which animal your child found most interesting, and why.
- Look up an animal from the sheet in a library book or on a trusted children's website to find out more.
- Come back to the sheet another day. Ask your child to tell you the facts they remember.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Read one fact at a time and look at a picture of the animal together. Ask your child to say the fact back in their own words. Act out the animal if it helps. Take breaks, and come back to the rest later.
To stretch confident children
Choose one animal from the sheet and find one more fact about it with an adult, using a book or a trusted website. Then make a short poster or talk to tell someone else what you found out.
Make it a game
Play Bigger or Smaller. One player names two animals. The others guess which is bigger, then check in a book. Swap roles after each round. Add a point for every correct guess and see who scores most.
Talk about it
- Which animal would you most like to meet, and why?
- What is the biggest animal you have ever seen? What is the smallest?
- Why do you think some animals are small and some are huge?
- Where do you think this animal lives? What might it eat?
- How could we find out if a fact is really true?
- Which fact would you like to tell someone else?
Take it off the page
Animal size line
Draw or cut out pictures of animals. Put them in a line from smallest to biggest, then talk about why you chose that order.
Garden or park hunt
Go outside and look for small animals such as birds, snails and insects. Watch quietly from a distance and talk about what each one is doing.
Draw an animal home
Choose an animal and draw its habitat. Add the things it might need, such as food, water and a place to shelter.
Who it is for
Parents
Read it together at a relaxed pace. Let your child lead the talk and follow their questions. If you do not know an answer, look it up together. That shows children how to find things out.
Teachers
Use it as a topic starter, a wet play activity or a reading for information task. It can prompt class discussion, questions to investigate and a display of favourite animals. Pair it with books so children can check facts.
Home educators
Use it to launch an animal topic, or to add a calm reading and talking activity to your day. Follow your child's interests by choosing library books about the animals they enjoy most.
Where this fits in learning about animals
Young children begin by noticing and naming the animals around them. In Key Stage 1 science, children name and describe common animals under the National Curriculum for England strand Animals, including humans. Reading and talking about animal facts supports that early interest.
Later, children study habitats and how living things depend on each other. These ideas sit mainly in the strand Living things and their habitats. In Key Stage 2, this includes grouping and classifying living things. Fun facts are a friendly way to build the curiosity that supports this learning.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- Is the Fun Animal Facts sheet free?
Yes. It is a free printable from the Mini Minds Hub by Jaques of London. You can print it at home or in school as often as you need, for your own children or your class.
- Who is the sheet for?
It is for children to enjoy together with a parent, teacher or home educator. Younger children can listen and talk, while older children can read the facts themselves and share what they find interesting.
- Do I need any special equipment?
No. You only need the printed sheet. A library book or a trusted children's website is useful if you want to look up more about an animal, but it is not essential.
- How should I use it with my child?
Read the facts aloud together and stop to talk. Ask questions such as which animal your child likes best and why. Let their curiosity decide how long you spend on each fact.
- Can I use it in the classroom?
Yes. It works as a topic starter, a reading task or a prompt for discussion. Children could choose a favourite animal and tell the class about it. Books or the internet can help them check facts.
- What if my child asks something I cannot answer?
That is a good moment. Say you are not sure and look it up together in a library book or on a trusted children's website. It shows that checking facts is a normal part of learning.
- Where can I find more free printables?
You can find more in the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London. It offers activities for children that families, teachers and home educators can print and use.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.