Characteristics of living things

Living things are organisms that exhibit the characteristics of life. They have certain traits that distinguish them from non-living things.

Main features of living things

1. They grow — Just like how you grow taller, animals and plants grow too.
2. They need food and water — All living things need energy to stay alive.
3. They can have babies — This is called reproduction. Living things make more of their kind. For example, cats have kittens, and plants make seeds.
4. They can move — Animals run, jump, or fly, and even plants move slowly (like turning toward sunlight).
5. They breathe — Living things take in air to stay alive. You breathe oxygen, and fish breathe underwater!
6. They can feel — Living things respond to their surroundings. If you touch something hot, you pull your hand away.

Examples of living things: People, animals, plants, birds, and insects.

And remember, things like rocks, chairs, or toys are non-living because they don't grow, eat, breathe, or have babies!

Seven characteristics of living things

1. Nutrition: Nutrition means the process by which living things obtain and use food for growth, metabolism and repair. Living things need nutrients, which are obtained from the environment in the form of food. Living things need food to grow and stay alive. Food gives energy and nutrients like proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
2. Respiration: Respiration is the burning of food substances by oxygen to release energy in the body of a living thing. It involves exchanging two gases, namely oxygen and carbon dioxide. This is how living things use oxygen to break down food and release energy. Animals breathe in oxygen and release carbon dioxide.
3. Sensitivity or irritability: Living things sense and respond to stimuli in their environment. A stimulus is anything that can evoke a response in a living thing. The ability of living things to detect and respond to stimuli in their environment is called sensitivity or irritability. Living things can feel and respond to changes around them, like light, heat, or touch. Animals use their senses (eyes, ears, nose, etc.), and plants use their parts (roots, flowers, etc.).
4. Movement: All living things move. Animal movement is usually visible. Movement in plants involves only certain parts, and not the whole plant. Movement in plants is mainly through the bending, twisting and elongation of certain parts of a plant or its organs. All living things move. Animals move from place to place, while plants move parts like stems or leaves slowly.
5. Reproduction: All living things can produce young ones which resemble them. Animals may reproduce through various ways, including laying eggs or giving birth. Living things can have babies or grow new plants. Animals give birth or lay eggs, and plants grow from seeds or cuttings.
6. Excretion: All living things excrete waste materials from their bodies. Excretion means getting rid of waste products. In animals excretion is carried out by kidneys, lungs and skin. Living things remove waste from their bodies. Animals sweat, urinate, or exhale waste, and plants release water vapor, oils, or resins.
7. Growth: Growth is the physical increase in the size, height and weight of a living thing. It is one of the characteristics of all living things which occurs either by an increase in size or by multiplication. It is usually an irreversible process. Living things grow bigger over time. A baby grows into an adult, and a seed grows into a tree.