10 Free Life Cycle of a Penguin Worksheets

As winter approaches, we’re exploring the fascinating life of penguins with these free life cycle of a penguin worksheets.

They offer a fun and educational way to learn about penguins while engaging in hands-on activities.

Featuring memory games, labeling, coloring pages, and writing exercises, these free science life cycle worksheets are ideal for 1st to 4th-grade students.

Whether you’re homeschooling or need a quick classroom activity, these no-preparation printables are the perfect fit for both learning and enjoyment.

**This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and a participant in other affiliate programs, I earn a commission on qualifying purchases.**

Penguin life cycle worksheet

Kids will love working through our free penguin worksheets, and you’ll appreciate how easy it is, everything you need is already on hand!

This set includes 10 full pages, so be sure to check your printer settings before you start. Here’s what you’ll find:

• Front cover: Keep everything neat by storing the worksheets in a folder.
• Life cycle pages: Three pages to color and label the stages of a penguin’s life.
• K-W-L chart: Fill in what they know, want to know, and what they’ve learned.
• Penguins can, have, are: A fun writing activity to build understanding.
• All about penguins: Engaging writing activities to dive deeper into penguin facts.
• Label the parts of a penguin: Draw arrows from the body parts to their names.
• Penguin memory match game: A fun way to reinforce learning.

The first page is the cover, and the second focuses on the penguin life cycle, where kids can color and match words to pictures.

The next few pages let them color in and label different stages of a penguin’s life.

In the K-W-L chart, students can list what they already know, their questions, and what they’ve learned about penguins.

There’s also a fun “Penguins can, have, are” activity where they explore penguin facts further.

We enjoy including the Life Cycles book in our studies to enhance our understanding of how different animals grow and change.

For the parts of a penguin printable, kids can label the body parts by drawing arrows to the correct areas. Finally, enjoy a penguin-themed memory match game to round off the learning fun!

You can also have fun exploring with our life cycle of a reindeer worksheets!

Penguin memory game

This penguin memory game printable is a hit in our house!

Just print the page twice, then cut out the images.

I like to use a paper cutter for accuracy, but scissors work just as well if that’s what you have handy.

Once you’ve got the pieces ready, shuffle them up and lay them face down.

For younger kids, I usually organize them in neat rows (4 rows of 6 works great), but for older kids, I let them scatter the pieces for a bit more of a challenge.

Playing is easy and so much fun! Take turns flipping over two images—if they match, you get to keep the pair.

If not, just turn them back over and try again. Whoever collects the most matches wins!

Fun penguin life cycle facts for kids

Penguins have such an incredible life cycle, and it’s always a hit when we learn about it with the kids. Here’s a simple, but fun, overview to share with your little ones:

• Penguins lay their eggs in nests or sometimes even on bare ground, depending on the species. Some, like Emperor penguins, keep their eggs on their feet to stay warm in the freezing Antarctic! While most species lay two eggs, Emperor and King penguins only lay one.
• After the eggs hatch, the chicks are covered in fluffy down feathers and rely completely on their parents for food. Mom and Dad take turns feeding the chicks by regurgitating food. Emperor penguin chicks even form groups called crèches to stay warm while their parents are off hunting for food.
• As the chicks grow, they lose their soft down feathers and develop waterproof feathers. Once they’ve got their new feathers, they’re ready to leave the nest and learn to swim—this is a critical time as they need to master hunting quickly!
• After leaving the nest, young penguins spend several years at sea, growing and maturing into adults. They return to land to molt, shedding old feathers and growing new ones.
• Penguins reach adulthood between 3 and 8 years old, depending on the species. They return to their birth colony to find a mate and start the life cycle all over again. Penguins are often monogamous for a season, and some even mate for life.
• Every year, adult penguins molt their old feathers and grow new ones. During this time, they can’t swim or eat, so they rely on stored fat to get them through.
• Some penguin species migrate long distances between their breeding and feeding grounds, while others stay close to their colonies year-round.

For even more penguin fun, check out our types of penguin worksheet to learn about the different species of penguins and their unique characteristics!

Additional penguin worksheets

Explore even more penguin fun with these additional worksheets! Whether you’re looking for penguin activities for preschoolers or educational resources for older kids, these worksheets combine learning and fun in creative ways.

• Get crafty with the little ones by creating adorable penguin handprint art, perfect for toddlers and older kids.
• Tailored for early learners, these penguin math worksheets from Homeschool Preschool focus on building basic math skills in an engaging, hands-on way.
• From puzzles to coloring pages, dive into a variety of penguin activity sheets designed to help kids explore the fascinating world of penguins while practicing critical thinking and creativity.
• For a deeper learning experience, explore penguin worksheets that cover a range of subjects, from science to literacy, all centered around penguins and suitable for a wide age range.

Need to print later? Add this to your Pinterest board or share it on Facebook. You’ll have it handy whenever you’re ready to use it!

Get the free life cycle of a penguin printables here!

If you are running short on time you can download all of our life cycle worksheets. There are 247 pages over 23 different life cycles.

Ready to grab your free printable? Just pop your name and email into the form below, and it’s all yours!

Last Updated on 8 April 2025 by Clare Brown