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WorksheetYear 4Level 2 · Standard

Free Year 4 How Seeds Travel: Seed Dispersal Worksheet

Students learn why plants spread their seeds away from the parent plant and how seeds are carried by wind, animals, water and bursting pods, link seed features to the way they travel, and test paper seed helicopters.

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Year
Year 4
Subject
Science
Topic
Living Things & Life Cycles
Difficulty
Level 2 · Standard
Estimated time
30 minutes
Curriculum
Australian Curriculum
Questions
14
Answers
Included, with working
Format
PDF (A4), print or complete online

Students will practise

  • explaining why seeds are dispersed
  • describing ways seeds travel
  • linking seed features to dispersal
  • planning and interpreting a fair test
  • identifying variables

Curriculum: Australian Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.

What's next?

Completed: How Seeds Travel: Seed Dispersal

  1. 1Food Chains and Habitats
  2. 2Adaptations of Plants and Animals
  3. 3Decomposers: Nature's Recyclers

How to use this worksheet

  1. Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
  2. Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
  3. Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
  4. Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.

Common questions

Who is this worksheet for?

Year 4 students (typically ages 9–10) working on living things & life cycles. It is pitched at level 2 · standard.

Are the answers included?

Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.

How long does it take?

About 30 minutes for 14 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.

What should we do next?

Try Food Chains and Habitats.

Preview

Success TutoringWorksheetsYear 4 · Science · Living Things & Life Cycles

How Seeds Travel: Seed Dispersal

Name

Date

Score /

Think about each seed's features and how they help it travel.

Part A: Seeds on the move

Read the passage. Then circle the best answer.

Plants cannot walk, but their seeds can travel. Moving seeds away from the parent plant is called seed dispersal. It helps new plants find their own light, water and space, so they do not compete with the parent, and it lets plants spread to new places.

Wind: light seeds with wings or fluffy parachutes, such as maple seeds and dandelions, are carried by the wind.

Animals: juicy fruits are eaten and the seeds are dropped in the animal's droppings. Seeds with hooks, such as burrs, catch on fur and clothes. Some animals bury nuts and forget them.

Water: seeds that float, such as coconuts, are carried by rivers and the sea.

Bursting: some pods dry out and split open suddenly, flinging their seeds away — pea and bean pods are examples.

1.Why is it good for seeds to travel away from the parent plant?
  1. ASo they can grow without competing with the parent for light, water and space.
  2. BSo the parent plant can sleep.
  3. CBecause seeds cannot grow in soil.
  4. DSo the seeds stay cold.
2.A dandelion seed has fluffy hairs. How does it travel?
  1. Aby water
  2. Bby wind
  3. Cby bursting
  4. Don animal fur
3.Burrs have tiny hooks. How are they spread?
  1. AThey float down rivers.
  2. BThey explode out of pods.
  3. CThey stick to animal fur and clothes.
  4. DThey blow away on the wind.
4.How does a coconut travel to new places?
  1. ABirds carry it in their beaks.
  2. BIt is blown by the wind.
  3. CIt bursts open.
  4. DIt floats on water.
5.A bird eats a juicy berry. How might the seed be spread?
  1. AThe seed passes through the bird and is dropped in its droppings far away.
  2. BThe seed melts inside the bird.
  3. CThe bird plants the seed with its feet.
  4. DThe seed turns into a feather.

Part B: Features and travel

6.Match each seed feature to how the seed travels.
  • wings or parachutes
  • tiny hooks
  • light and able to float
  • dry pod that splits open
  • water
  • bursting
  • wind
  • animal fur
7.Moving seeds away from the parent plant is called seed (answer space).
8.Why might a squirrel that buries acorns help an oak tree? (answer space)

Part C: True or false?

Write True or False.

9.All seeds travel by wind. ☐ True   ☐ False
10.Seeds that grow right under the parent plant may not get enough light. ☐ True   ☐ False
11.Juicy fruit helps a plant by tempting animals to eat it and carry the seeds away. ☐ True   ☐ False
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Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.

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About this resource

Created by
Success Tutoring Science Team
Last reviewed
1 October 2026
How it was made
Written by our team

Free to print and share for personal, classroom and homeschool use. Please don't resell. Spotted an error? Let us know.