Lesson Plans on the Muscular System

Body Model

Trace each child's outline on a piece of butcher paper. Cut out the body shapes. Provide the students with templates of the various muscle groups throughout the body. Have the students color, cut out and glue the muscles in place on the body. Another option is to use crepe paper streamers or string to represent the muscles. If you are teaching all of the body systems, the body model works well for all of them. Before adding the muscles, have the students glue a picture of each organ on the body. Use brads to hold the muscle pictures over the organs. This allows the muscles to be moved to the side to reveal the organs for later review.

Exercising lets kids feel and see how their muscles work to move the body. A series of different exercises such as jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups and stretches engage a variety of muscles. The students should feel their muscles working as they perform the tasks. Pointing out the particular muscles being used on a diagram helps kids connect the topic to their bodies. For older kids, have them write down the muscles used to perform each exercise.

Use a diagram of the muscles in the body. Create labels for each muscle that is depicted in the diagram, particularly those muscles you've studied in class. Pieces of Velcro on both the back of the card and the corresponding location on the diagram allow the kids to attach the labels. This provides a simple review technique to improve the recognition of the different muscles in the body. This works well as a timed, relay-style activity or as an individual activity during quiet time.

Homemade books provide the students with a chance to demonstrate understanding on the muscular system. Create a template for the pages based on the information you wish the students to include in the book. Ideas include the names of specific muscles, a drawing of it, the functions and key characteristics about each muscle or group of muscles. Provide the kids with specific instructions on what to include in the book. For younger kids, provide the sentences, leaving blanks in each one for a fill-in-the-blank-style book. These muscle books let the kids go back and review periodically.