Teacher sheet · Ages 6–7 · about 45–50 minutes
My skeleton
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/skeleton/ages-6-7/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/skeleton/ages-6-7/print/
Learning aims
- Know that we have a skeleton made of bones that holds us up.
- Know that bones protect soft organs (skull, ribs).
- Know that muscles move bones at joints.
- Know that food with calcium and active play help bones.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Starter: do a floppy-doll wobble. What would we be like without bones? |
| 10 min | Read the text; point to skull, ribs, elbow and knee. |
| 15 min | Find-your-bones and stiff-elbow experiment. |
| 5 min | Game: Protect or move? |
| 10 min | Quiz and worksheet. |
Materials for the experiment
- A big sheet of paper with a body outline (or draw round a volunteer)
- Crayons
- Rolled-up newspaper or a cardboard tube
- Soft tape or a scarf
Safety: Only press gently, and only on your own body. Tape the tube on loosely, over clothes, and take it off at once if it feels uncomfortable. Pupils with a hurt arm or a cast can be the helper or the artist.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| Bones are dead, like sticks. | Bones are living: they grow and are rebuilt all the time. |
| Bones move by themselves. | Muscles pull on bones to move them. |
| Only grown-ups have a skeleton. | Everyone has one; children's bones are still growing. |
Worksheet answers
- Skull round the head, ribs round the chest.
- My heart and lungs.
- Hard.
- For example: milk, cheese or yogurt; hopping, skipping, jumping or running.
Quiz answers
- What does your skull protect? Your brain. The skull is a hard case around the brain.[2]
- How many bones does a grown-up skeleton have? 206. An adult skeleton usually has 206 bones.[1]
- What pulls on bones to make them move? Muscles. Muscles pull on bones to move them.[2]
- What is a joint? A place where bones meet. Joints like the elbow are where bones meet.[2]
- Which helps bones grow strong? Hopping, skipping and jumping. Activities like hopping, skipping and jumping help build bone.[6]
Going further
Make a moving arm from card strips and a split pin as the elbow. Where would the muscle go?
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] Divisions of the Skeleton (SEER Training Modules, National Cancer Institute (NIH, USA)): reliability High
- [2] Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 6.1 The Functions of the Skeletal System (OpenStax, Rice University): reliability High
- [6] Kids and Their Bones: A Guide for Parents (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIH, USA)): reliability High
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/skeleton/sources/
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