Spooky season is upon us! Now is the perfect time to teach your kids all about bone structures and bone functions. Bones provide a great way to study everything from biology to art! These activities combine different disciplines to make an exciting and spooktacular curriculum.
So put on your favorite skeleton-print outfit and get ready to learn!
1. Make A Skeleton
A fun and fast hands-on design activity! All you need are some cotton swabs, paper, and glue. Cut the cotton swabs into various lengths to represent the major bones in the body and then have your kids paste them in the right place.
Learn more: Living Life and Learning
2. Life-Size Skeletons
Put your artistic skills to work! Have your kids lie down on a piece of paper and trace their shapes. Then draw and cut out the largest bones of the body fit to their size. Use brads to connect the various pieces and let your kids play with their skeleton friends!
Learn more:Fun At Home With Kids
3. Skeleton Match-Up
This skeleton print is a fantastic interactive resource for learning bone names. Cut out the various parts and have your kids match the names to the bones. If you have some space on your fridge, a magnetic version is available.
Learn more: A Little Pinch of Perfect
4. Digital Skeletons
This pre-made digital activity is an entertaining way to teach your kids all about their skeleton and the importance of calcium for healthy bone growth. Click and drag the bones to complete the human body, and receive a fun surprise at the end!
Learn more: Dairy Australia
5. Skeletal Digital Activities
Test your kids' knowledge of the skeletal system with these fun games! Two basic games are available. One has kids' label bones. The other asks students to put the bones in the right place in the body.
Learn more: ABCYa
6. Skeletal System Introduction
This short video is a great introduction to all the types of bones in the body. Starting with the cranial bones and ending with the leg bones, it helps your kids learn the bones' names in the human body.
Learn more: Learning Junction
7. How Bones Work
A great addition to your digital classroom, this video discusses how the skeleton works. It covers bone names and where they are in the body. It also reinforces the importance of milk for healthy bone growth!
Learn more: Nemours Kids Health
8. Skeleton Dance - Preschool
Get your little ones up and dancing! This cute video plays a catchy tune that highlights the primary bones in the body. Aimed at preschoolers, it's a great introduction to the human body. Perfect for an active playtime!
Learn more: Kiboomers
9. Human Bones Song
A great video for older elementary kids, it discusses the composition of bones and bone anatomy terms. Although brief, its in-depth tune covers the different types of bone tissue, bone functions, and bone structures. Use it to compliment science texts about bones.
Learn more: Jam Campus
10. Make Your Own X-Ray
Have an aspiring doctor on your hands? Let them practice their doctor-ing skills by gluing bone cut-out shapes onto a piece of paper and have them hold it up to the light like an x-ray. Add some pictures of broken bones so kids can see what happens when someone gets injured.
Learn more: The Empowered Educator
11. Practice Casts
Teach your kids the importance of keeping their bones strong with this hands-on activity. All you need is a baby doll and some plaster wrap. Let your kids play doctor and practice wrapping the doll's "broken bones."
Learn more: Science-Sparks
12. Primary Bones Worksheet
An easy class activity, this worksheet has students label the largest bones in the human body. Everything from the cranial bones down to the leg bones is covered.
Learn more: Live Worksheets
13. Muscles and Bones
Answer your students' questions about the human body with this tasty activity. Use a cookie cutter to make human body-shaped crunchy cookies and soft pancakes to explain why we need both muscles and bones.
Learn more: I Can Teach My Child
14. Playdough Art Activity
Show your little ones the importance of bones. Have them build two human bodies out of playdough: one with straws representing bones and the other without. Then try to stand them up and see what happens.
Learn more: A Little Pinch of Perfect
15. Mummy Trail
This fun game is a great closing activity for your bones discussion. Grab some dice and watch your kids battle each other to be the first to answer the questions about bone types and development. The winner gets a "bag of bones" candy!
Learn more: Eagle Arc
16. Bones Bingo Game
Every kid loves playing bingo! The bingo card above is geared towards a lesson on facial bones. However, a blank bingo board can easily be adapted to cover any of the bone groups in the body!
Learn more: My Free Bingo Cards
17. Bone Yoga
Help your little ones build body awareness with this short video. Follow the instructor as she leads your kids through the major bones of the body. It's a great way to promote healthy bone growth and help your kids build strong bones!
Learn more: Yo Re Mi
18. Bending Bones
This engaging science activity has students take strong bones and make them bendy. The activity materials include cooked chicken bones, a couple of glass jars, seltzer water, and vinegar. Place the bones in the liquids for two days and see what happens!
Learn more: 123 Homeschool 4 Me
19. Candy Spines
This tasty activity is a great class activity all about the spine! Grab some gummy and hard candy lifesavers to represent the vertebral column bones. Use some licorice for the nerves. Assemble and enjoy!
Learn more: Adventures in Mommydom
20. Bone Anatomy Viewer
This digital activity puts the scalpel in your kids' hands. Let them dissect a digital bone and see the various types of bone tissue. They can explore the honeycomb of bone cells and marrow in the human body. The activity also includes an option to quiz your kids on their bone knowledge.
Learn more: Arizona State University
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