Survival Needs: Air, Water, Food, Shelter, and Space

All living things need certain things to stay alive. These are called survival needs. People, animals, and plants all share the same basic survival needs: air, water, food, shelter, and space.

Without these five things, living things cannot grow or stay healthy. You need all of them every single day!

Air

You breathe air every moment of the day. Air has oxygen in it, and your body needs oxygen to work. Animals breathe air too, and even fish get air that is dissolved in water. Plants take in air through tiny holes in their leaves to help them make food and grow.

Water

Your body needs water to keep working. You cannot go more than a few days without drinking water. Plants need water to grow big and strong. Without water, plants dry up and die. Animals drink water every day too.

Food

Food gives you energy to run, play, and grow. Animals eat food to build strong muscles and bones. Plants make their own food using sunlight, air, and water. All living things need food to have energy and stay healthy.

Shelter

Shelter is a place that keeps you safe and warm. Your home is your shelter. It protects you from rain, cold, and wind. Birds build nests as their shelter. Rabbits have hutches. Fish have their tanks or ponds. Shelter keeps all living things safe from harsh weather and danger.

Space

All living things need enough space to move, grow, and find what they need. You need room to play and grow. Plants need space to spread their roots and leaves. Animals need space to move around and find food. Without enough space, living things cannot thrive.

People, animals, and plants all need the same five things to survive. A hamster in a classroom needs food, water, air, a cage for shelter, and space to move. A bird needs food like seeds, water to drink, air to breathe, a nest for shelter, and space to fly.

Even astronauts in space need air, water, food, and shelter to stay alive! Their space station gives them everything they need to survive far from Earth.

You can look for survival needs all around you! When you water a plant, you are giving it one of its survival needs. When you feed a pet, you are helping it survive. When you go home after school, you are going to your shelter.

Think about going camping. You would need to bring water to drink, food to eat, a tent for shelter, and you would breathe fresh air and have space to explore. These are the same needs all living things have!

Survival Needs: Survival needs are the things every living thing must have to stay alive. You need air, water, food, shelter, and space to survive.

Air: Air is what you breathe every day. It has oxygen in it, which your body needs to work. All animals and plants need air to survive.

Oxygen: Oxygen is a part of air that your body uses when you breathe. Without oxygen, living things cannot survive.

Water: Water is a liquid that all living things need to drink or use to grow. Your body cannot work without water, and plants dry up without it.

Food: Food is what gives you and other living things energy. You eat food to grow, move, and stay healthy. Animals eat plants or other animals, and plants make their own food from sunlight and air.

Energy: Energy is the power you get from food that lets you run, play, and grow. All living things need energy to move and stay alive.

Shelter: Shelter is a place that keeps you safe and protected from weather and danger. Your home is your shelter. A bird's nest, a rabbit's hutch, and a fish tank are all examples of shelter for animals.

Space: Space means having enough room to move, grow, and find what you need. Plants need space for their roots and leaves. Animals need space to move around. You need space to play and grow.

Living Things: Living things are people, animals, and plants. All living things grow, need food and water, breathe air, and need shelter and space to survive.

You already know that you eat food, drink water, and breathe air every day. You live in a home that gives you shelter, and you have space to play. Now you can see that all living things not just people share these same needs!

Understanding survival needs helps you take care of plants and animals. When you water a plant or feed a pet, you are helping meet their survival needs.

This topic is part of a bigger chapter called Survival Needs. As you keep learning about science, you will explore more about how living things grow and stay healthy. Learning about air, water, food, shelter, and space gives you a strong start for understanding all of nature around you.

You can keep exploring science topics to learn even more about how plants, animals, and people live and grow together in the world.