Digestive System Activities for Kids
In this set of activities adaptable for grades K-3, parents and educators will find ideas for teaching about digestion and the digestive system. These activities are designed to complement the BrainPOP Jr. Digestive System topic page, which includes a movie, quizzes, online games, printable activities, and more.
Classroom Activities for Teaching About the Digestive System
If possible, provide a healthy snack, such as apples or carrots, or have students bring in their own healthy snacks. Discuss what happens to the food as they eat it. What happens to the food after they chew and swallow it? Invite partners to listen to each other’s stomachs after they finish their snacks. What do they hear? What is happening inside the stomach?
The digestive systems of different animals look and function differently. Learn about the stomachs of different animals. What does the stomach of a snake look like? How is the stomach of a sloth different from our stomach? How many stomachs does a cow have? Why might it have so many? Do insects have stomachs? Have students conduct research at the library or online. Then have them share what they learned with the whole class.
Family and Homeschool Activities for Teaching About the Digestive System
Encourage your child and the whole family to eat more high-fiber foods to keep your digestive systems healthy. Together with your child, research different high-fiber foods. The answer might surprise you! How much fiber does an avocado have? How much fiber does an apple have? You can research online or look at cookbooks to find the answer. Then find ways to incorporate more high-fiber foods into your child’s diet.
It is no secret that regular exercise vastly improves health and benefits the heart, lungs, and muscles. It also keeps the digestive system healthy. Create an exercise plan that you can do with your child. Incorporate a physical activity everyday. This may be jogging around the block a few times, riding bikes to a park, walking the dog, or playing tag. Challenge your child to come up with as many different physical activities as possible and do them together.