During February, we celebrate and honor health and wellness with American Heart Month. The way I see it, how can we possibly begin, or be inspired, to take care of our bodies if we don’t understand science?
So, equally important for adults and children, my family is taking a step back to educate ourselves about the human heart. My sons are 4 and 5 and are ripe for hands-on learning! This post includes a hands-on activity for kids to learn about parts of the heart. Enjoy!
Learn Parts of the Heart with Kids
Gentle Revolution is a company that offers Bit of Intelligence cards across a variety of topics. I love these cards because of the detail of the drawings and the guide on the back of the cards for teaching and helping the child learn more information. The website also offers a specific teaching guide for these cards.
I find these cards ignite a desire to learn more. We have them displayed throughout the boys’ space in our home. Perfect for a classroom, too. Combine these cards with Cross Section Heart Model
February is the perfect month to study the heart. We have Valentine’s Day plus American Heart Month. These occasions provide a great opportunity to teach about love, friendship, and compassion using the heart as a symbol and about physiology, organs, and health using the heart as a part of the body.
Learn about the Heart with Kids
- Cross Section Heart Model
- Organs of the Body Bit of Intelligence Cards
- Tracing Paper
- Colored Pencils
- Clip Board
- Paperclips
How to Learn about the Heart
- Use a mini easel to display the Heart organ card or display it on the sill
- Place the heart model in a basket next to the card
- Wait for the child to be drawn to the heart or invite him to it
- Point out and examine the card’s detail with the child
- Ask the child Open Ended Questions about the heart
- Use the back of the card as a guide in answering & asking questions
- Invite the child to trace the heart
- Once the heart is traced, use colored pencils to color in the parts
- Label the heart using the cross-section model as a guide
- Compare the 3D and 2D hearts
- Display drawing
