Life Cycles
Follow the stages of a frog, a butterfly, a chicken and a plant.
Life Cycles shows pictures of living things as they grow, with arrows linking one stage to the next. Children name the stage marked with a letter, then decide which stage comes right before or after another. Frogs, butterflies, chickens, grasshoppers, ladybugs and plants all appear, so the same skill is practiced on very different life stories.
As children grow comfortable, one stage is hidden and they work out what is missing. They also learn how animals change, whether a grasshopper looks like a small adult or a butterfly goes through a pupa, and how pollination and germination fit into a plant's cycle. The last level asks them to tap stages and compare cycles side by side.
What children practice
- Name the stages in a frog or butterfly life cycle
- Put life cycle stages in the right order
- Find the missing stage in a cycle of pictures
- Tell animals that change completely from those that do not
- Explain germination and pollination in a plant life cycle
- Compare life cycles by number of stages and pupa or tadpole
Levels
- Level 1: Name the stage
- Level 2: What comes next
- Level 3: Missing stage
- Level 4: How animals change
- Level 5: Plant life cycle
- Level 6: Compare life cycles
How it works
- Six levels start with naming a stage and end with comparing different life cycles.
- Your child unlocks the next level with five correct answers and a bit of timed practice.
- A wrong answer says try again, and your child picks again without losing the question.
- The speaker button reads each question aloud, which helps early readers.
Best for: A good fit for grades 1 to 6, especially during a science unit on living things, or for a child who loves frogs and butterflies.
Tip for parents: Raise a few seeds on a windowsill or look for tadpoles or caterpillars together. Ask your child which stage of the life cycle you are looking at, and what stage comes next.
Questions parents ask
Which life cycles are in the game?
Children see the life cycles of a frog, a butterfly, a chicken, a grasshopper, a ladybug and a plant. Questions use these to ask about stages, order, missing stages and how many stages each cycle has.
Does it teach complete and incomplete metamorphosis?
The game asks how an animal changes as it grows and which life cycles have a pupa stage, such as the butterfly and ladybug, and which do not. It does not require those two terms, so it works for younger children as well.
Is there a plant section?
Yes. Level 5 covers the plant life cycle, including germination, what a seed needs to start growing, and how pollinators help a flower make a fruit with seeds. Children also see the plant as a cycle of pictures.
Ready to try it?
Life Cycles is free with a parent account. A parent adds a child profile, and the child's progress is saved.