Parts of a plant: roots, stem, leaves and flowers: what children learn
Every flowering plant, from a daisy to an oak tree, is built from the same basic parts. Roots hold the plant in the ground and take in water. The stem holds it up and carries water. Leaves use sunlight to make food. Flowers are where seeds are made, and seeds can grow into new plants. In Year 1, children learn to name these parts and describe them, on garden plants, wild plants and trees.
This game is a matching game. Children pair each part (such as roots or petals) with a short description of what it is or does. Trees are included on purpose: a trunk is simply a thick, woody stem, branches hold the leaves, and bark protects the trunk. Seeing that a tree is a plant with the same parts as a sunflower is one of the big ideas of Year 1 science.
This topic covers the Year 1 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Plants): pupils should be taught to “identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees”. Year 1 pupils are usually aged 5–6.
There is no direct equivalent in the US Common Core State Standards.
How to play
Pick a card on the left, then the card on the right that matches it. Each game has 6 pairs. Wrong matches are counted as mistakes, and you get three stars for a game with no mistakes.
Step by step
- Start at the bottom. Roots are usually underground. They anchor the plant and soak up water from the soil.
- Move up the stem. The stem holds the plant upright and carries water up to the leaves and flowers. On a tree, the stem is the trunk.
- Look at the leaves. Leaves catch sunlight. The plant uses it to make its own food, which is why most leaves face the light.
- Find the flower. Flowers are where seeds are made. The bright petals attract insects such as bees.
- Follow the seed. After the flower, a fruit or seed pod often forms around the seeds. A seed can grow into a new plant.
Worked examples
Example 1: Which part holds the plant in the soil and takes in water?
Working: This part is under the ground, spreading out like fingers.
Answer: The roots.
Example 2: What is a tree trunk?
Working: A tree is a plant. Its trunk does the same job as a stem: it holds the tree up and carries water.
Answer: The thick, woody stem of a tree.
Example 3: What do petals do?
Working: Petals are the colourful parts of the flower. Their colour and smell help bees and other insects find the flower.
Answer: They attract insects.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Thinking trees are not plants. Compare a tree with a sunflower part by part: roots, trunk (stem), branches, leaves, and often flowers or blossom.
- Calling the whole flower the "petals". Show that petals are one part of the flower; the middle of the flower is where seeds start to form.
- Thinking plants eat soil. Roots take in water, not food. Plants make their food in their leaves using sunlight.
- Forgetting the roots because they are hidden. Gently pull up a weed, or grow a bean in a clear jar, so children can see the roots.
Activities to try at home
- Pull up a weed together and name each part from the roots to the flower.
- Grow a bean in a jar with damp kitchen roll and draw it every few days.
- On a walk, point at a tree and ask your child to name its trunk, branches, leaves and bark.
- Cut an apple in half and find the seeds inside the fruit.
Ideas for the classroom
- Give each group a real flowering plant (in a pot) and labels to stick on the parts.
- Build a giant tree on the wall with labelled roots, trunk, branches, leaves and blossom.
- Play the matching game in pairs, then ask pupils to draw and label a plant from memory.
- Collect leaves, seeds and fruits on a nature walk and sort them by part.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a colour-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
Do all plants have flowers?
No. Ferns and mosses do not have flowers. The Year 1 curriculum focuses on flowering plants, including trees, which do have flowers, even if some are small, like grass flowers.
Is a seed part of the fruit?
The fruit grows from the flower and holds the seeds, so the seeds are inside the fruit. An apple, a tomato and a pea pod are all fruits.
What comes next in Year 3?
In Year 3 pupils learn more about what each part does, such as how water is carried up the stem and how flowers make seeds through pollination.