A kids guide to health and the human body

Your body is a network of different organs and systems that all work together. Each part of your body must be kept healthy so that you can enjoy doing things like playing with your friends and going to school. It's important to learn about the body and how it works so you'll know how and why you need to take good care of all of its different parts.

Think of the skeletal system of your body like the frame of a house that is designed to hold everything together. This system helps protect your organs and keep them from getting injured. Your ribcage protects organs like the heart and lungs, and your skull protects your brain. The bones of your skeletal system are linked together with cartilage, ligaments, and joints that help your bones move. This very important system in your body is what helps you run, jump, and play, and it gives you your shape: Without bones, you'd be a pile of organs and muscles on the floor! Inside of your bones is a substance called marrow that is filled with red and white blood cells.

• The Skeletal System
• Kids' Info Guide: Skeletal System
• Facts About Bones
• The Skull
• Pictures of the Bones in Your Skeletal System
• The Skeleton Game
• Functions of Muscles and Bones
• Bones: Learning Activities

The circulatory system works like a busy highway system full of many roads and bridges. This important system helps to transport different materials throughout your body, like oxygen, nutrients, and even water. The circulatory system delivers these important materials to the cells in your body to give you energy and help you function. Some of the main parts of the circulatory system are the blood, blood vessels, and your heart, which helps to pump the blood through your veins. It is important to keep your heart healthy so you can live a full and active life.

• The Heart: Facts
• The Truth About Your Heart
• Fun Facts on the Heart for Kids
• What Does Your Heart Look Like, and How Does it Work?
• The Heart and Circulation of Blood
• Circulation Station
• Your Heart and Circulation
• Exploring the Heart

Your nervous system is what helps to send all kinds of signals to your body. Whether it is the feeling of pain after you fall off of your bike or your ability to taste how good pizza is, the nervous sytem helps you experience it. This system is connected to your senses, like touch, hearing, smell, and taste. The brain is the center of your nervous system and gives important signals to the rest of your body to help it function, and it also translates messages sent back from the body. Nerves are also part of the nervous system, and they are small strands throughout your body that allow you to feel things like heat, cold, pain, or good things like how soft a dog is when you pet it.

• The Nervous System
• Your Nervous System
• A Nervous Experiment
• The Autonomic Nervous System
• Fun Brain Facts
• How Does Your Nervous System Work?
• My Amazing Brain (PDF)
• Brain Facts for Kids

Your body needs oxygen in order to live, and the respiratory system is the part of your body that handles the flow of oxygen in and out. The lungs are the centerpiece of this system and help you to take in air. They also help you breathe out harmful things like carbon dioxide and serve as a filter for your body to help make sure you're getting the oxygen you need to survive. It is very important to take good care of your lungs so that your respiratory system will work properly and help deliver life-saving oxygen throughout your body.

• Your Lungs and the Respiratory System
• Learning About Lungs
• How Your Body Uses Oxygen
• Respiratory System Interactive Lesson
• Anatomy of the Respiratory System in Children
• 10 Gasp-Worthy Facts About the Respiratory System
• How Lungs Work
• Your Lungs and Respiratory System

In order for all of your body's systems to stay healthy, you need to be sure you're taking good care of yourself. Eating healthy foods and exercising are two great ways you can take care of all of your body's systems. Eat foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and avoid eating too much sugar or drinking lots of soda. Be sure you drink plenty of water, too: Lots of what goes on in your body needs water to get done, from making blood to getting rid of waste products. Exercise as much as you can so your muscles and skeletal system stay strong and active. By taking care of your body, you will feel much better and have a long, healthy life.

• Body Anatomy Lesson Plan
• How Your Body Is Like a Factory
• 10 Tips to Develop Healthy Habits
• Keeping Kids Fit: Daily Health Tips
• Developing Healthy Eating Habits
• Healthy Snacks Kids Love
• Heart Healthy Kids and Teens
• Health and Nutrients
• Abingdon Endodontist
• Abingdon Orthodontist
• Abingdon Periodontist