Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Pets Needs Checklist: Free Printable Chart for Year 1
- ForYear 1
- StageKey Stage 1
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Pets Needs Checklist is a free printable chart for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6). Children think about what a pet needs to stay well, tick off the needs on a checklist and write a few words of their own on the lines. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the answers.
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 both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children look at a checklist about caring for a pet and tick off what a pet needs to stay well. They think about each need in turn and sort what matters for a healthy animal. There are also lines for writing, so children can put their ideas into words. The sheet works well with a real pet, a toy pet or a picture to talk about.
- Food
- Fresh water
- A safe, warm home
- Exercise
- Love and care
- A clean bed
- A visit to the vet when ill
- Time to play
- Fresh air
Why talk about pet care in Year 1?
Many children in Year 1 already know a pet, whether it lives in their home, at a friend's house or in the classroom. That makes this topic easy to connect to real life. Children are used to looking at animals, but they may not have thought about what an animal relies on people to provide each day.
In Key Stage 1 science, children study animals, including humans, and learn to notice how living things stay healthy. Talking about pets is a gentle first step. It builds early ideas about caring for others, and it gives children good reasons to explain their thinking out loud and in writing.
Remind children to ask an adult before touching any animal, to be gentle and calm, and to wash their hands afterwards. Never let a child handle an unfamiliar animal on their own.
Pet facts for curious children
- Different pets need different kinds of care.
- A vet is a doctor for animals.
- Pets cannot tell us in words when something is wrong, so people watch them closely.
- A pet depends on the people who look after it.
- Pets are living things, just like people and plants.
Skills and curriculum link
- Animal needs
- Sorting
- Ticking a checklist
- Speaking in sentences
- Early writing
What children will be able to do
- I can name things a pet needs to stay alive.
- I can tick off what a pet needs each day.
- I can say why a pet needs food, water and care.
Ideas to talk about together
- Living thingsTalk about what makes something alive. Ask how a living pet is different from a toy pet.
- Different petsCompare two animals your child knows. Ask how their care might be the same and how it might be different.
- Who helpsPets rely on people. Ask who looks after a pet your child knows, and what that person does.
- NoticingAsk how we can tell whether a pet looks well or unwell. Look at pictures and talk about what you see.
Key words
- PetAn animal that lives with people and is looked after by them.
- NeedSomething a living thing must have to stay well.
- HealthyWell and strong, not ill.
- CareLooking after someone or something kindly.
- VetA doctor who looks after animals.
- ChecklistA list where you tick each thing once you have thought about it.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the heading together. Ask your child to think of a pet they know, or to pick up a toy pet.
- Go through the checklist one item at a time. Ask your child to say why each one matters before they tick it.
- Let your child use the lines to write their own words. Praise their thinking, and do not worry about perfect spelling.
- Check with page 2 and come back another day. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Talk about a real pet or a toy pet first. Ask, "What does it do in a day?" Look at each item on the checklist together, one at a time, and act it out with the toy before your child ticks it.
To stretch confident children
Write a sentence about how you would look after a pet. Then add a second sentence that says why. Use the word "because". Read your sentences aloud to a grown up and see if they can add one more idea.
Make it a game
Act out looking after a pet. One player is the pet and the other is the owner. The owner mimes feeding, walking and cleaning. The pet guesses what is happening. Swap roles after each turn.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child ticks down the list quickly without stopping to think.
Try thisSlow down. Ask, "Why does a pet need this?" before each tick. The reason matters more than the tick.
Watch forA child can only say one or two needs and stops there.
Try thisAsk them to picture a whole day with a pet, from waking to bedtime. Prompt with, "What happens next?"
Watch forA child writes "love" or "care" but cannot say what it looks like.
Try thisAsk what a kind owner does. Gentle stroking, talking softly and noticing when a pet seems unwell are good starting points.
Talk about it
- Which pet do you know best, and how is it looked after?
- Why do you think a pet cannot look after itself in your home?
- What could we notice if a pet was not feeling well?
- Who helps pets when they are ill?
- How is looking after a pet different from looking after a toy?
- If you had a pet, what would your first job be each day?
Take it off the page
Toy pet care corner
Set up a small pretend pet shelter with soft toys. Take turns being the carer and look after each toy through the day.
Draw a pet's day
Fold a sheet of paper into four. Draw a pet at four different moments in its day and say what its owner is doing in each.
Pet picture hunt
Look through books or magazines for pictures of animals being cared for. Talk about what the people are doing and why.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go, then let them lead. If you have a pet, let your child watch how it is cared for and talk about it. If you do not, a toy pet or a picture book works well.
Teachers
Use it as a starter before an animals topic, a plenary, an early finisher task or a supply resource. It supports the animals, including humans strand in Key Stage 1 science. Page 2 gives support and stretch for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Pair it with a trip to a farm, a pet shop visit with permission, or a library book about animals. Siblings can take turns being the pet and the carer. Reuse the sheet a few weeks later to see what your child remembers.
Where this fits in science
Before this sheet, children learn to name common animals and notice how animals are alike and different. They begin to understand that animals are living things. Talking about pets builds on what they already know from home and from stories.
After this sheet, children move on to ideas about how animals live and grow, and where different animals are found. In the next year they look more closely at what animals need to survive, and they explore living things in their habitats. This sheet gives them a friendly start.
Check it worked
Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.
- What does a pet need every day to stay healthy?
- What might happen if a pet had no water?
- Who looks after a pet at home and how?
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Pets Needs Checklist for?
It is written for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6), in Key Stage 1. It also works as a talking activity with slightly younger children, and as a writing prompt for children a little older.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers and sisters, or to revisit the topic a few weeks later.
- What will children practise?
Children identify what animals need to stay alive and healthy. They sort, tick a checklist and write on the lines, which builds early science talk and early writing together.
- What if it feels too hard?
Talk about a real pet or a toy pet first. Go through the checklist one item at a time and act it out. Page 2 gives more help ideas for children who find it hard.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. It also gets children talking, thinking and writing by hand.
- Is it suitable for teachers to use in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has support and stretch ideas.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children can add their own colour if they would like to, but it is not needed.
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Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.