It is important that the student understands how the digestive organs look and what their roles are in the digestive system. It is also important to understand how these organs are connected and how they each contribute to the digestive system. To teach the student about the organs, have the child draw the various organs on a piece of paper in their natural size. Include organs such as the kidneys, liver, gallbladder, stomach, intestines and stomach. Color them differently, so they are easily identifiable. Cut the organs out. Trace the outline of the student's body and use this as a human body template. Have the student place the organs where they are in the body and ask the student why each organ is there. This will reinforce the student's placement decision and teach the child the primary functions of the vital digestive organs. For more help regarding what organs look like and where they are located, visit the American Medical Association website.
It is important that the digestive system's function of breaking down nutrients and fats is covered when teaching a child about the digestive system. Explain to the student how the body and the digestive system handles too much fat, sugar or unhealthy foods, compared to healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables. For this exercise, have the child examine her daily lunch. Have her identify which parts of the meal are good for the digestive system and which are bad. Discuss with the student how the organs interact with one another to transform energy into food and thus into energy. For more information regarding the relationship between food and digestive organs, visit kids-learn.org website.
At the end of the digestive-system lesson, ask the child to put together everything learned. Ask the student what he ate today, which foods consumed provided nutrients, which foods did not provide nutrients and ask him to explain what happens once the food has been swallowed. Use the human body outline and the organs made in the first activity to help the child point out where the food goes and what each organ does in the digestive process. At the end of the process, ask the child to create a meal plan for one day that consists of healthy foods that are easily digestible and good for the body. Use the Dietary Fiber Foods and Shape Fit websites to outline healthy foods and unhealthy foods.