For preschoolers, science topics are so fascinating. You can really dive into a lot of science topics in your preschool time. If you teach preschool at home, this body tracing studying the human body activity is great to add in on one of the days.
We kept it like an overview of the body and more about appreciation of each individual. It affirms your child’s value and reminds them they are wonderfully made.
Studying the Human Body for Preschoolers
For the body trace you need a long piece of paper. The paper rolls are great for this. You can cut off a length of paper to match the length of your child.
Tape a couple pieces of paper together if you need a wider and longer tracing surface.
When the paper is ready, your child lies on the paper. Trace around their body outline with a marker or colored pencil.
My preschooler and toddler had fun seeing how big they looked when traced on paper. It was fun for them to see that appreciation for themselves.
We took the body trace studying the human body for preschool a step further. Using a human anatomy book for kids, we sketched out parts of the body. We did this with the major organs.
After sketching each organ, my children colored them and cut them out. We glued them to our traced body sketch where they would be located inside the body. It was a quick overview of what is where in the body. We kept it simple with heart, lungs, intestine, bones and muscles. You can even draw the organs right onto the tracing.
The song head, shoulders, knees and toes is a fun one to add to this body trace activity. We labeled the parts of body. Then, my children drew their faces onto their body tracings.
Books About the Human Body for Kids
For older kids, in a homeschool unit, we used a few resources to study how the body works.
The book, 30-Second Anatomy details each body system. I used it with my kids in elementary grades and middle school, but it is a book that is great for even college level anatomy.
In addition, the book DK anatomy has quick to digest bits of info on each system in the body. I love having real science charts and information. Even if your child cannot understand all of what you are reading, it is exposure. That really does sink in over time.
I credit my mom reading her nursing books out loud to me when I was little for my ability to understand science concepts fairly quickly. It’s as if hearing it at a young age primed my brain for understand it when I had to do research on my auto immune disease.
We really help our children in so many ways when we read to them from birth. Read to your children every day!
The body tracing activity is a unique self-portrait idea. One more learning activity for teaching preschool to encourage your child to learn so much!
Check out the large collection of preschool learning activities on the blog.
If you do preschool at home, an entire free preschool curriculum is listed. Start with the free How to Teach a Preschool Activity guide when you subscribe for free to The SAHM Guide weekly emails.
What activities are you teaching your preschooler right now? Have you tried the body tracing activity?