What Is a Life Cycle?

Living things are born, grow, reproduce, and die, in a cycle.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 45

Every living thing has a life cycle: the stages of its life. It begins life, grows, becomes an adult, and has young of its own.
It's called a cycle because it goes around and around, like a wheel. The young grow up and have young, too!
Baby animals often have special names. A young cat is a kitten. A young cow is a calf. A young horse is a foal.
Scientists ask questions to learn a life cycle, like: What does it look like when it's born? How does it change as it grows?
Your turn! Put the stages of a life cycle in order.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Science:

S2L1.a — Ask questions to determine the sequence of the life cycle of common animals in your area: a mammal such as a cat, dog or classroom pet, a bird such as a chicken, an amphibian such as a frog, and an insect such as a butterfly.