How to Learn the Skeletal System

The human skeletal system is made up of 206 bones. According to Kidz World, when we are born we have more than 300 bones that fuse together as we grow. The smallest bone in the body is the stirrup bone located in the eardrum, while the largest bone is the femur, the leg bone that runs from the knee to the hip. Memorizing a diagram of the skeletal system in a book is one way to learn the bones. These are other interactive and hands-on activities that can help you learn the bones and their location in the human body.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper
  • Pencils with erasers
  • Poster of a human skeleton or life-size model
  • Sticky notes
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Instructions

  1. How to Learn the Skeletal System

    • 1

      Play a matching game. Use a blank skeleton and make a list of the bones in the human body. Match the names of the bones up to their partner. You can use paper to do this or go to http://www.abcya.com/skeletal_system.htm to play an interactive matching game.

    • 2

      Use a tutorial that teaches you about the skeletal system. Go to http://www.getbodysmart.com/ and view the interactive tutorial. This site will teach you the names of each of the bones and their locations. You can also click on each bone and read facts about it. Quiz yourself at the end of the tutorial to test your knowledge.

    • 3

      Study photographs and diagrams of the skeletal system. Look at the bones from several different views: side, front, back and top. At http://www.cln.org/themes/skeletal.html you can access photos of the bones, as well as their different views. Sketch these views to commit them to memory.

    • 4

      After you've studied the skeletal system, create a PowerPoint presentation to teach it to others. Include slides with photos of each bone and a short description.

    • 5

      Use a life-size skeleton or poster and write the names of each bone on sticky notes. Mix up the sticky notes and then post them in the correct location. Use a labeled diagram to check your answers. Do this several times to practice.

    • 6

      Cut out each of the bones and write their names on the backs. Put together your own skeleton using a labeled diagram or from memory. This will help you to learn both the names and locations of the bones. Go to http://familyfun.go.com/Resources/global/printables/games/Skeleton.pdf to print out a blank template of the skeletal system.

    • 7

      Buy a skeleton puzzle, such as the Ravensburger Skeleton 200 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle. The puzzle teaches bone names and locations through trial and error.

    • 8

      Memorize a song about the skeletal system, or write your own. Go to http://www.texashste.com/documents/curriculum/a_p/skeletal_system.pdf to print out a copy of the "Hokie Pokie Osteokey" in which you point to a specific bone during the song. Scroll down until you are near the end of the document to find the song.

    • 9

      Play the game "Simon Says" but use the names of the bones. For example, the caller could say, "Simon says touch your patella" or "Touch your cranium."

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