This animal classification game for kids is a fun way for a small group to learn about basic classification of the animal kingdom and different continents where they live.
Categories of Different Animal Groups
- Birds
- Insects
- Mammals
- Reptiles
- Amphibians
- Fish
Characteristics
- Birds have a beak, feathers, and wings. They breathe with lungs and lay eggs .
- Insects have three body parts and six legs.
- Mammals have hair and fur. They breathe with lungs and make milk to feed their babies.
- Reptiles breathe with lungs. Some live on land and some live in water.
- Amphibians spend part of their lives in water and part on land. They are born with gills and develop lungs and legs as they get older.
- Fish spend their lives in water and breathe with gills. They lay eggs to have babies.
Targeted Age: first grade, second grade, third grade
Continents
- North America
- South America
- Asia
- Africa
- Australia
- Europe
- Antartica
How to Play
The goal of the game is to collect four different animals of any animal category.
Directions
- Shuffle the animal cards and deal 5 cards to each player.
- Place the remaining cards on the table in a pile, face down.
- Take the top card from the pile and place it face up on the table.
- The first player can take either the turned up card or ask a player for a specific category card. (Do you have a Mammal card?)
- The other player must give the card if they are asked and have it, but only have to give one card per turn.
- At the end of each turn, a player must discard a card. They must keep five cards in their hand at all times.
- The first player to get four of a kind (all shown at the top of each card), wins.
Another Way to Play
Players can be sneaky and simply ask for a continent card if they don’t want the other players to know which group of animals they are trying to collect (except with fish).
Download the Animal Classification Card Game here:
Use this educational resource as a follow up to a science lesson for kids of all ages. It is a great way to practice what they have learned about animal classification of living things.