There are 206 bones inside your body.
They protect the organs (inside parts) of the body.
They help your body stand up and move.
They are hard outside and soft inside.
A joint is where two bones meet.
About the skeleton
A skeleton is all the bones of the body that protect our internal organs. © Getty Images
Under our skin is a skeleton made up of bones.
A skeleton is all the bones of the body joined to ligaments and tendons that form a protective cover for body organs such as the heart and lungs. There are 206 bones in the human body.
Bones are hard on the outside. Inside they are soft but strong. Red and white blood cells are made inside bones from bone marrow. Bones also store minerals that the body needs. They are made of protein, minerals, and vitamins.
Fun Fact!
The tiniest bone is inside the ear. It is just 3 millimetres long.
This is an X-ray of a hand. An X-ray is a photograph of the bones inside the body
X-rays
This is an X-ray of a hand. An X-ray is a photograph of the bones inside the body. The hand is the part of the body with the most bones. There are 27 of them in each hand. There are 26 in each of your feet!
Joints
A joint is where two bones meet. There are different kinds of joints:
Some bend in only one direction, like a knee or elbow.
Some move in all directions, like a hip or shoulder.
Some turn, like in your neck or wrist.
Watch a video that shows how the joints work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsBJ4oUff10
Healthy Bones
Playing games and exercising makes the bones strong © Getty Images
Good food and exercise make bones strong and healthy. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, drink milk and eat nuts and cheese. Walking, climbing and dancing are good exercises for building strong bones. So are team games such as football and basketball.
It’s a good idea to get your information from more than one source!
Find the names of the 206 bones in the human body:
https://sites.google.com/site/functionsofthehumanbodysystems/skeletal-system/list-of-all-the-bones
Read about our 'funny bone' which isn't really a bone at all:
http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/funny_bone.html
Label or assemble the bones of the skeleton online:
http://www.abcya.com/skeletal_system.htm
