Science • Your Body

Why do we have bones? 🦴

Right now, hiding inside you, is a set of 206 bones working together. We call the whole set your skeleton.

Tap Next and let's find out the amazing jobs your bones do every single day. 👉

Job 1: Bones give you shape 🧍

Without a skeleton, your body would be soft and floppy — like a jelly! Bones are strong and stiff, so they hold you up straight and give your body its shape.

Tap the button to see what happens to a body without bones:

Job 2: Bones are your armour 🛡️

Some bones act like a helmet or a cage to protect the soft, important parts inside you. Drag each bone to the body part it keeps safe.

Keep me safe! ⬇️ drop here
🧠 Brain drop bone
❤️ Heart & Lungs drop bone
🔌 Spinal cord (body wires) drop bone
Drag a bone 🦴
🦴 Rib cage
💀 Skull
🦴 Backbone

Job 3: Bones help you move 🏃

Where two bones meet is called a joint. Your muscles pull on your bones, and joints let them bend — like a door hinge. Press the buttons to bend this arm at the elbow!

upper arm forearm
This is the elbow joint 👆

No joints means no bending — you couldn't walk, wave or even chew!

Job 4: Secret jobs inside your bones ✨

Bones aren't just hard sticks — they are busy little factories! Tap each card to reveal a hidden job.

🩸
Makes blood
tap to reveal
The soft marrow inside big bones makes new blood cells every day!
🥛
Stores calcium
tap to reveal
Bones store calcium from food like milk to stay strong. Eat well!
📏
Grows with you
tap to reveal
Bones are alive and keep growing — that's how you get taller!

Fun fact: a bone mystery 🔍

Here's a surprise. Babies are born with about 300 bones, but grown-ups have only about 206. As you grow, some tiny bones join together to make bigger, stronger ones!

Quick quiz: How many bones does a grown-up have?

Wow fact: More than half of your bones are in your hands and feet. That's why they can do so many tricky moves! ✍️👣

Let's check what you learned 🧠

Tap the ONE job below that bones do NOT do:

Hint: seeing colours is a job for your eyes, not your bones!

🎉🦴

Brilliant work, bone expert!

Your skeleton is a superhero team of 206 bones. Here's everything it does:

💡 Take care of your bones: eat calcium-rich food, play in the sunshine, and stay active!

Give your skeleton a little thank-you wiggle — it's been holding you up this whole lesson. 😄