Books, activities, and online resources for teaching kids about the human body.
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How to Teach Kids About the Human Body
Kids have a natural curiosity about the human body, and giving them the answers they are looking for can be a wonderful way to lay a foundation for higher level biology and chemistry classes as they grow older.
Teaching kids about the human body can be done through structured units, but kids will also teach themselves when they are given the right resources. Today’s post features some fun ways for kids to learn about the human body, through books and hands-on activities.
Parragon books recently sent us a copy of the Human Body Factivity Kit to review. Eight-year-old Johnny and six-year-old Lily worked together (with some help) to build the skeleton. That was fun, but the real win in this kit was the book, which has all sorts of fascinating facts about the human body presented in engaging ways. The book is colorful and well-illustrated, with lots of hands-on activities.
More Books for Teaching Kids About the Human Body
Here are some other great books about the human body that my kids enjoy reading:
- Uncover the Human Body is a very unusual book that includes a 3D model. Parts of the model are connected to each page, and kids discover the skeletal system, digestive system, urinary system, circulatory system, respiratory system, muscular system, and nervous system as they turn the pages. The 3D aspect of this book makes it engaging to preschoolers through older kids.
- The DK First Human Body Encyclopedia mixes illustrations with incredible photographs. This human body book feels like a science text, and some kids might find some of the pictures “creepy”.
- The human body sticker book. My kids love sticker books, and placing stickers where they go on a page as you learn can be a great way to reinforce memory.
- The Flip Flap Body Book answers questions kids have about what happens to food, how senses work, and how babies are made (more how they grow) in simple language for children aged 4 and up.
More Lesson Plans, Units, and Activities
There are some amazing educational resources for kids online! These are interactive sites, unless otherwise noted.
- Compare the human skeleton to the skeletons of different animals
- Learn how your heart works (YouTube video)
- Explore the five senses with these experiments
Here are some great human body activities from blog friends:
- Human anatomy unit
- My Body Activities for Tots & Preschoolers w/ Free Printables
- The Immune System and Personal Hygiene
- Skeletal System Unit Study
- Fingerprint Science for Kids
- 5 Messy Ways to Play Brain Surgeon
- Egg Carton Toothbrush Activity
- Muscular System Third Grade Unit Study
- Human Body and Nutrition Activities
- Human Body Activities for Kids
- Montessori Human Anatomy Introduction
- Montessori Human Anatomy Activities
- Skeleton and X-ray Crafts
- Teaching Body Parts to Toddlers
Do you have an activity we should try or a book we should read?
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MaryAnne lives is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Loved this! My nephew, who is almost two and just discovering his body, shows me a different part every time we meet, hands, legs, last time it was ears. I love the way kids discover what we’ve long been taking for granted.
Amalia
xo
Two is a great age for learning about the human body!
My kids get especially fascinated with the human body when they are expecting a new brother or sister. :) Thank you for this list of terrific resources.
Your round up of resources is AWESOME! Thanks for sharing. My 10th grader might find this handy as she draws and I hope my 5th son will use it too. He’s really into science!
That model would be a huge hit at my house as well. Great collection of resources (thanks for including me :))
My kids are loving this book, to. There are lots of neat little facts to keep it interesting without being dry.
Fantastic collection of resources! Thanks for putting it together :)
So many great resources here! A goes through periods of intense interest in human body and then reverts back to programming :)
Thanks, Natalie! My kids do the same thing :)