Every single person has a skeleton made up of many bones. These bones give your body structure, let you move in many ways, protect your internal organs, and more.
It's time to look at all your bones — the adult human body has 206 of them!
It's time to look at all your bones — the adult human body has 206 of them!
Watch this short video to learn about the skeletal system.
Skeletal System Vocabulary
Joints: The place where two bones meet. Some joints move and others don't.
Cartilage: Soft, flexible material; the outside of your ear is made of cartilage.
Skull: One of the most important bones on your body because it protects your brain.
Spine: A set of 26 ring shaped vertebrae located down the middle of your back.
(Kids Health, 2014)
Joints: The place where two bones meet. Some joints move and others don't.
Cartilage: Soft, flexible material; the outside of your ear is made of cartilage.
Skull: One of the most important bones on your body because it protects your brain.
Spine: A set of 26 ring shaped vertebrae located down the middle of your back.
(Kids Health, 2014)
How Bones Grow
When you were a baby, you had tiny hands, tiny feet, and tiny everything! Slowly, as you grew older, everything became a bit bigger, including your bones.
A baby's body has about 300 bones at birth. These eventually fuse (grow together) to form the 206 bones that adults have. Some of a baby's bones are made entirely of a special material called cartilage (say: KAR-tel-ij). Other bones in a baby are partly made of cartilage. This cartilage is soft and flexible. During childhood, as you are growing, the cartilage grows and is slowly replaced by bone, with help from calcium.
By the time you are about 25, this process will be complete. After this happens, there can be no more growth — the bones are as big as they will ever be. All of these bones make up a skeleton that is both very strong and very light.
(Kids Health, 2014)
When you were a baby, you had tiny hands, tiny feet, and tiny everything! Slowly, as you grew older, everything became a bit bigger, including your bones.
A baby's body has about 300 bones at birth. These eventually fuse (grow together) to form the 206 bones that adults have. Some of a baby's bones are made entirely of a special material called cartilage (say: KAR-tel-ij). Other bones in a baby are partly made of cartilage. This cartilage is soft and flexible. During childhood, as you are growing, the cartilage grows and is slowly replaced by bone, with help from calcium.
By the time you are about 25, this process will be complete. After this happens, there can be no more growth — the bones are as big as they will ever be. All of these bones make up a skeleton that is both very strong and very light.
(Kids Health, 2014)
Your Spine
Your spine is one part of the skeleton that's easy to check out: Reach around to the center of your back and you'll feel its bumps under your fingers. The spine lets you twist and bend, and it holds your body upright. It also protects the spinal cord, a large bundle of nerves that sends information from your brain to the rest of your body. The spine is special because it isn't made of one or even two bones: It's made of 26 bones in all! These bones are called vertebrae (say: VER-tuh-bray) and each one is shaped like a ring. (Kids Health, 2014) |
Keeping Your Bones Healthy
Your bones help you out every day so make sure you take care of them. Here are some tips:
Protect those skull bones (and your brain inside!) by wearing a helmet for bike riding and other sports. When you use a skateboard, in-line skates, or a scooter, be sure to add wrist supports and elbow and knee pads. Your bones in these places will thank you if you have a fall!
If you play sports like football, soccer, lacrosse, or ice hockey, always wear all the right equipment. And never play on a trampoline. Many kids end up with broken bones from jumping on them. Broken bones can eventually heal, but it takes a long time and isn't much fun while you wait.
Strengthen your skeleton by drinking milk and eating other dairy products (like low-fat cheese or frozen yogurt). They all contain calcium, which helps bones harden and become strong.
Be active! Another way to strengthen your bones is through exercise like running, jumping, dancing, and playing sports.
Take these steps to be good to your bones, and they will treat you right!
(Kids Health, 2014)
Your bones help you out every day so make sure you take care of them. Here are some tips:
Protect those skull bones (and your brain inside!) by wearing a helmet for bike riding and other sports. When you use a skateboard, in-line skates, or a scooter, be sure to add wrist supports and elbow and knee pads. Your bones in these places will thank you if you have a fall!
If you play sports like football, soccer, lacrosse, or ice hockey, always wear all the right equipment. And never play on a trampoline. Many kids end up with broken bones from jumping on them. Broken bones can eventually heal, but it takes a long time and isn't much fun while you wait.
Strengthen your skeleton by drinking milk and eating other dairy products (like low-fat cheese or frozen yogurt). They all contain calcium, which helps bones harden and become strong.
Be active! Another way to strengthen your bones is through exercise like running, jumping, dancing, and playing sports.
Take these steps to be good to your bones, and they will treat you right!
(Kids Health, 2014)