Shadowing Practice: Living and Non-living Things for Kids | Learn why some things are alive and others are not - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Living and non-living things for kids.
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Living and non-living things for kids.
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The world is full of living and non-living things.
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How are these things alike?
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How are they different?
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Were all non-living things alive at some point in time?
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There are so many questions,
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and today we are going to answer them together.
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When you think of something that is living, what comes to mind?
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Animals, plants, or insects might have made your list because they are all alive.
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And all living things have special traits or characteristics that set them apart from non-living things.
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What do you think some of those might be?
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Living things do three main things that non-living things cannot do.
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Grow, take in nutrients, and reproduce.
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Let's start with grow.
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Have you ever seen a chick before?
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What about a tiny plant sprout?
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Do these things stay the same?
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Or do they change over time?
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That is right.
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They change and get bigger.
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They grow.
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A chick becomes a hen,
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and a sprout becomes a fully grown plant.
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On to the next one.
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What do you think taking in nutrients means?
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Simply put, it means eating,
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drinking, or absorbing all of the nutrients that an organism needs to survive.
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What are nutrients?
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They are what living things need in order to grow and thrive.
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Stuff like food and water.
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and sunlight if you are a plant.
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Animals and plants take in nutrients in different ways,
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and so do tiny organisms.
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Here is an interesting fact.
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Mold on cheese is a living thing because it actually feeds off of the cheese,
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grows, and needs nutrients in order to live.
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In this case, the cheese is the nutrient that the mold needs to survive.
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Pretty neat, right?
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Last, living things reproduce or make more of their own kind.
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Non-living things cannot reproduce.
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In addition to these three main characteristics,
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most living things also breathe,
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have senses, like sight, taste,
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touch, sound, and smell, and they move too.
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But there are some non-living things that also move, like fire and water.
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Now that we have talked about living things,
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let's turn our attention to non-living things.
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Non-living things are not and have never been alive.
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Which means that when something living dies,
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it does not become non-living.
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It is just dead.
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As you can probably guess,
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non-living things are pretty much the opposite of living things.
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They do not grow, eat,
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reproduce, breathe or have senses.
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They do not need nutrients to survive.
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Non-living objects can be in solid, liquid or gas form.
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Take a car for example.
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A car has never been alive.
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It does not eat, grow, or reproduce.
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And the only time it moves is if a person drives it.
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Think you can spot the differences between something that is living and something that is non-living?
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Let's find out.
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Which one of these is non-living?
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Did you say the stuffed animal?
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You are right.
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Okay, here are two plants.
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Wait!
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One of these plants grew from a seed and the other one is made of plastic.
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Which one is living?
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Did you say this one?
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You are right!
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Ready for one more?
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We have a crystal and a rock.
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Is one of these objects living?
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Nope!
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Both are non-living.
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You are awesome!
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Now that you are an expert on living and non-living things, let's review.
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Fill in the blank.
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Living things can grow, take in nutrients, and blank.
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Did you say reproduce?
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True or false?
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False.
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Once a living thing dies,
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it becomes a non-living thing.
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False.
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Non-living things have never been alive.
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Name a non-living thing that can move.
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Fire, water, or a car.
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True or false.
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Non-living things can be solids, liquids, or gases.
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That's true!
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Great work, everybody!
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Everywhere you go, there are living and non-living things.
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Living things grow, take in nutrients, and reproduce.
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Non-living things do not.
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The next time you are playing with friends,
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make up a game and guess which item is living and which is non-living,
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kind of like we did today.
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and always remember to have fun.
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Hope you had fun learning with us.
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Visit us at learnbright.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This video on living and non-living things is a fantastic resource for English learners looking to improve their speaking skills. By engaging with the content, you not only learn about basic scientific concepts but also practice essential English vocabulary and phrases in context. Discussing topics like what defines living things can help you express your thoughts clearly and confidently. As you explore these concepts, you can also incorporate this material into IELTS speaking practice, enhancing your ability to answer questions related to nature and biology. Practicing through shadowing techniques, such as repeating after the speaker, allows you to improve your English pronunciation while reinforcing comprehension.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The video features several key grammatical structures and expressions that can elevate your speaking abilities:

  • What do you think - This phrase encourages interaction and can be used when asking for opinions, making it a valuable conversational opener.
  • Do these things stay the same? - This structure invites clarification and encourages listeners to consider changes over time, useful for discussions about growth and transformation.
  • Take in nutrients - A great example of a phrasal verb that can help you talk about biological processes in a straightforward manner.
  • Pretty neat, right? - Informal phrases like this can help convey enthusiasm in conversation, making your speech more engaging.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Throughout the video, there are specific words and expressions that may pose pronunciation challenges for non-native speakers:

  • Nutrients - This word can be tricky; focus on the 'u' and 'tri' sounds to ensure clarity.
  • Reproduce - Pay attention to the stress on the second syllable and practice the transitions between syllables.
  • Absorbing - The 'sor' part can be difficult; practicing slowly will help you nail the pronunciation.

Utilizing techniques like shadowspeak or shadowspeaks can greatly enhance your ability to pronounce these words accurately. By mimicking the speaker's intonation and rhythm, you can progressively improve your overall speaking skills.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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