— By Julie HOdos on March 13, 2025

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The cheetah runs as fast as a car on the highway, while an elephant lifts 400 pounds with its trunk, and a blue whale is the same length as three school buses parked end to end. These types of facts absolutely fascinate children.

The sorting activity and free printable featured today is perfect for teaching animal habitats for kindergarten or even older preschoolers. The best part is this play based learning experience will help your child come to understand more about the world around them.

Why should a child know about animals and their habitats?

I frequently find my 6, 4, and 3 year old sprinting through the house at top speed shouting, “I’m as fast as a cheetah!” We live in North America so these animals are not in their immediate environment. Yet, my children are still curious to know and understand all animals. What about yours? 

A child has an innate curiosity to understand the world around them. By introducing them to sorting animals by habitat we are helping them to recognize characteristics of their own environment. As well as recognizing that various animals have different adaptations that allow them to live in their environment. Overall, your child can come to appreciate how God’s world is connected yet different.

Books to read to teach about animal habitats for kindergarten.

Habitats a Journey in Nature by Hannah Pang and Crinkleroot’s Guide to Knowing Animal Habitats by Jim Arnosky are both excellent choices for your homeschool. The illustrations convey everything you need to know about each habitat. and facts are included.

Animal habitats for kindergarten books are easy to come by. A favorite for our family is a series by Kate Messner: Over and Under the Pond and many more are available including the Rainforest and Wetlands. There is also Patricia Hegarty’s books Above and Below, as well as Above and Below: Sea and Seashore are excellent animal habitats for kindergarten read-aloud books.

The 6 animal habitats for kindergarten: features and common animals found in them.

Savannah & Grasslands habitats

Grass predominantly covers both biomes while Savannahs also include a few scattered trees. The animals found in these locations are zebras, elephants, giraffes and lions.

Marine habitats 

Normally defined for aquatic environments with high salinity. Animals found here are dolphins, sharks, sea turtles, starfish, and many, many more!

Jungle

A jungle has a highly dense growth of vegetation. From the canopy to the forest floor, many animals call this their home.  So there is a large variety of animals found here that include a jaguar, macaw, gorillas, and the red-eyed tree frog.

Mountains & Polar

Think snow and ice, cold temperatures, strong winds, and because of this barren land. Because of this you wouldn’t think any animals could live here but many animals still call this their home. These include the bald eagle, mountain goat, snow leopard, and seal.

Forest

Woodlands are home to deer, squirrels, owls, bears, and many more animals that are often characterized as being cute. Despite forests or woodlands being home to adorable furry animals they can also have ferocious creatures. A lot of trees are present here allowing for a similar variety in wildlife as a jungle. 

Desert

Lastly, a desert habitat is only suited to very few animals and plants that have adapted to survive little water. The animals found here include the camel, fennec fox, rattlesnake, and iguana.

Turn this sorting activity: animal habitats for kindergarten into a game.

I love turning sorting activities into games by simply hiding the animals. Your child’s age will determine how well you hide these animals throughout a room. After cutting all the animals out I use rolled masking tape to stick them to any surface while the kids are in another room.

Once all is hidden, the kiddos return and they must find each one. I help my child sort the animals to the appropriate habitat correctly as they find them. Once all are found, and sorted, we hide them again. As we repeat this, and my kiddos could do it all day, they begin to memorize the characteristics of each animal and which habitat they are adapted for.

Additional tips for animal habitats for kindergarten sorting activity.

To help keep the animals sturdy with the tape I print and laminate them before cutting out and hiding. You can also opt not to use the ink to print the environment pictures in the printable and simply print the animals. Then use different colors of construction paper for the environments of the habitats.

Another tip is to begin with all the animals already sorted on the mats and describe the habitats. This can also kickstart the memorizing of where each animal belongs. Reading the books mentioned above can also expedite this process. 

More animal sorting activities.

If you enjoyed this animal habitats for kindergarten sorting activity then you might enjoy these: Who lays eggs? This post explores the different animals whose life cycles include laying eggs. Another option is comparing nocturnal vs. diurnal animals is another sorting activity that teaches about animals who are awake by the light of the moon.

Ii is for Insect dives into the difference between a bug and an insect with a unique sticker sorting activity and Ww is for Water explores more of marine wildlife. Playing for Hours offers all these free resources at Letter of the Week!

Learn about more animals with Letter of the Week.

Letters like Bb is for Bird, Cc is for Caterpillar, Ff is for Frog, Ii is for Insect, Jj is for Jellyfish, Oo is for Owl, Ww is for water, and Zz is for Zebra all feature animals using play based learning opportunities. Explore more by following the links or click the button below to sign up and have access to each one.

Animal habitats for kindergarten free printable.

The animals who inhabit the world around us are fascinating in their differences and similarities. Don’t miss this play based learning opportunity for your child to learn more about God’s creation. Get it free below!

Animal Habitats for Kindergarten

Activity Instructions