Free Worksheets, Lessons, Quizzes

Digestive System


Human digestive system is the collection of organs that work together to break down food. It is also called the digestive tract or GI tract. Human digestive system consists of many parts; mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas and many other parts attached to these. This digestive system for kids lesson will teach you all about the human digestive system.

 

 

Digestive System for Kids

If you really want to grow well and live a healthy life until your death, it is so much the better to have a good understanding about your digestive system and how it works. So, this lesson, human digestive system for kids, will give you lots of interesting facts about your digestive system.

 

Contents: (Click the links in the contents to find and read what you want easily.)

 


 

First, let’s see the definition of digestive system.

 

What is digestive system?

The collection of organs that work together to break down the food you eat into energy and basic nutrients to feed the entire body is called the digestive system.

 

Human Digestive System Diagram

Digestive System for Kids - Human Digestive SystemHuman Digestive System

 

What are the other names for digestive system?

The digestive system in your body is a food factory production line. It is also know as;

 

  • The digestive tract
  • The gastrointestinal system
  • The GI system
  • The alimentary canal
  • The gut
  • The digestive tube
  • The intestinal tract
  • The intestinal tube

Click to go back to the contents

 


 

Where does the digestive system begin?

The digestive system begins in the mouth. Oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and anus complete the digestive system along with the other parts pancreas, gallbladder and the liver. The digestive system ends up at the anus (the opening in your bottom).

 

View the following digestive system for kids video to learn and remember the parts of the digestive system with an interesting song.

 

Next, digestive system for kids lesson will teach you about the digestive system process and digestion.

Click to go back to the contents

 


 

Digestive system process and digestion

Step 1:

 

Your digestive system process begins to work by producing saliva even before you eat the first bite of food. Also, it keeps working even after you’ve finished eating. When you see, smell, taste, or imagine your favourite snack, your salivary glands located under the tongue and near the lower jaw, start to produce saliva. This is the beginning of the digestive system process.

 

Step 2:

 

Then when you put food in the mouth, your digestive system takes the food and chops up and crushes it and breaks it down into tiny pieces using chemicals called enzymes. These tiny pieces are called nutrients that are locked inside the food you eat. These nutrients pass right into the body after they are released and rebuilt into new cells and tissues or burnt as fuel.

 

So, this is the digestive system process and it is also, called the digestion. Digestion helps your body to get the nutrients and energy from the food you eat. So, this is why you have enough of energy and strength to do your work throughout the day.

 

Enzymes

Enzymes are proteins that break down larger particles in your food such as, fats, proteins, carbohydrates etc. into smaller particles, so that it is easier to absorb them across the small intestine.

 

Nutrients

Nutrients are the things that provide nourishment in food. Types of nutrients in our diet are;
carbohydrates
, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibre and also water.

 

Go to the lesson Food Groups and Healthy Diet to read about each of these nutrients.

 

Know the importance of digestion and nutrition in life with this lesson, digestive system for kids.

 

Why is digestion important?

Digestion helps to get the nutrition into your body through food.

 

Good nutrition;

  • helps you grow
  • keeps you healthy
  • gives you energy to do your daily work.

So, this is why digestion is important to a healthy life.

 

Next, let’s learn the organs and functions of the digestive system with this lesson, digestive system for kids.

Click to go back to the contents

 


 

What are the parts of the digestive system?

The digestive system is made up of a long, winding tube called the digestive tract, from the mouth at the top and anus at the bottom. The food you eat travels through this tube, slowly changing into a sloshy soup that is taken into the bloodstream. But, hold on…!!! Not all the food that you eat would digest. The bits which you cannot digest are pushed out of the anus as waste (poo).

 

The digestive tract is made up of several parts. Each of these parts has its own special job to do. Following is the list of digestive system parts.

 

Parts of the digestive system

  • Mouth
  • Salivary glands
  • Pharynx
  • Oesophagus (gullet)
  • Stomach
  • Small intestine
  • Large intestine
  • Rectum
  • Liver, Gallbladder and Pancreas (Accessory digestive organs)

Look at the digestive system diagram again.

 

Human Digestive System Diagram

 

Digestive System for Kids - Human Digestive SystemHuman Digestive System

 

Let’s now learn the functions of the digestive system one by one with this lesson, digestive system for kids.

 

Human Digestive system parts and functions

 

Mouth

Function of the mouth:

Physical and chemical digestion start here

 

Teeth

 

Click Human Tooth Structure lesson to know all about your teeth.

 

Digestion starts when you use your teeth to grab, bite, slice and crush food into small pieces (by chewing) that you can swallow easily. There are mainly four types of teeth and the tongue in your mouth, in order to contribute in this process.

 

Types of teeth and their functions

  • Incisors – Sharp incisors cut the food like a knife
  • Canine – Pointed canines grip and tear the food
  • Premolars and molars – These at the back grind the food up

 

Digestive system for Kids - Human Teeth - Parts of the digestive system Types of human teeth

 

The Tongue

 

Apart from the teeth, the tongue is the other main part of the mouth. The tongue is a large muscle. It is covered in microscopic taste sensors which we call taste buds.

 

Functions of the tongue:

  • It helps with chewing, rolling and moving food around the mouth with the help of saliva.
  • It pushes a lump of food to the back of the mouth.
  • The taste buds of the tongue can detect chemical molecules in different food we put in our mouth and identify whether the food is sweet, sour, bitter or salty.

 

Did you know?

If you stick out your tongue you still only see the tip of it. This is because, the large muscle that makes up the tongue, mostly hidden behind the jawbone. Digestive system for kids - Tongue

 

How do you decide whether you like a food or not?

Thanks to sense organs, you are always concern about the texture, taste and smell of a food to decide whether you like it or not. Also, this is how you identify whether the food has gone bad or not before you put it in your mouth.

 
Digestive system for kids - Human tongue - parts of the digestive system
 

The lips Digestive system for kids - Parts of the digestive system

 

Your lips helps you talking.

 

But also, how can we forget about lips when talking about eating and swallowing?

 

Although, lips don’t directly play a part in the digestion process, it also helps in swallowing.

 

Have you tried to swallow food with mouth open?

It is a bit hard to swallow food with your mouth or lips open. In fact, your mouth would automatically close when you swallow food. This is because, when you swallow, strong muscles close the lips, helping them to seal the mouth and stop food falling out.

 

Salivary glands

 

Food is easier to chew, swallow and digest when it is wet. Saliva, or spit is there to do this job in the mouth. Your saliva or spit is produced by the salivary glands.

 

What are the different types of salivary glands?

 

There are three types of salivary glands;

  • Parotid
  • Submandibular
  • Sublingual

The salivary glands produce saliva. Saliva keeps the mouth and other parts of the digestive system moist. Salivary glands also produce the enzyme, salivary amylase which breaks down carbohydrates in your food. Salivary amylase is also called ptyalin. So, inside the mouth is where the food first start to break down for its nutrients. Saliva lubricates the passage of food down from the pharynx to the oesophagus (gullet) to the stomach.

 

List of functions of saliva

     

  • Keeps the mouth and other parts of the digestive system moist
  • Makes chewing and swallowing easier
  • Contains enzymes which help breaking down food into nutrients
  • Lubricates the passages of food so that food can pass through easily

 

Digestive system for kids - Salivary Glands - Parts of the digestive systemSalivary Glands

 

It’s mouth-watering!!

 

Have you ever noticed that even the thought or smell of your favourite food makes your mouth watery?

This is because with the help of the sense organs your brain predetermines what the food is, (because you have tasted it before in the past) before you put it in your mouth. So, the smell of a delicious cake baking in the oven or the thought of lime taste, is enough to start salivary glands releasing saliva into the mouth and makes your mouth watery. We call this ‘mouth-watering’.

 

What is uvula?

Have you seen a piece of muscle hanging down at the back of your throat? If not, go in front of a mirror. Open your mouth wide and look in the mirror. Now you should clearly see your uvula hanging down at the back of your throat.

 

Functions of uvula

  • Uvula makes lots of watery saliva to keep the throat moist.
  • It also helps in speech.

 

What is epiglottis?

Epiglottis is a flap of tissue that covers the top of the windpipe. As food is swallowed, epiglottis folds down to close off the windpipe and stop food going into the lungs. In case, food goes into the breathing system, it will make you cough until it is removed. This is why you shouldn’t talk while eating.

 

Digestive system for kids - Uvula and Epiglottis - Parts of the digestive system Uvula and Epiglottis

 

Click to go back to the contents


 

Pharynx

 

The pharynx is part of both the digestive and respiratory systems. It is located in the back of the throat. Both food and air go through the pharynx. For the digestive system, its muscular walls function in the process of swallowing.

 

Functions of the pharynx

  • It keeps food and other liquids out of the lungs.
  • It acts as a pathway for the movement of food from the mouth to the esophagus.

 

Click to go back to the contents


 

Oesophagus (gullet)

Oesophagus, or the gullet is a long tube that connects the pharynx with the stomach. Once you swallowed food, it travels down through the oesophagus as a bolus of food and reaches the stomach in about 10 seconds.

 

Functions of the oesophagus:

Passes food to the stomach by peristalsis

 

Next this lesson, digestive system for kids, explains what this peristalsis is.

 

What is peristalsis?

The muscular structure of the oesophagus is very important for the bolus of food to pass through it easily. The muscles that make up the oesophagus contract or expand to allow for the passage of food by pushing the bolus of food down towards the stomach. This series of wave-like muscle movement that allows the bolus of food to pass through the oesophagus is called peristalsis.

 

Digestive system for kids - Peristalsis movement in oesophagus (gullet) Peristalsis movement in oesophagus (gullet)

 

What are sphincters?

The powerful muscles that make the entrance and exit of the stomach are called sphincters. This entrance is usually closed tight, but when food approaches sphincters relax to let food enter the stomach.

 

Digestive system for kids - Upper part of the human digestive system Upper Part of the Human Digestive System

 

Click to go back to the contents


 

Stomach

As you know, in ten seconds the food you swallowed travels down the oesophagus into the stomach. The stomach is a large muscly bag. It can stretch up to 20 times its size to hold a full meal.

 

Function of the stomach:

Physical and chemical digestion

 

The stomach breaks down the chewed-up food and protein digestion begins here. The powerful muscular wall of the stomach squeezes and mixes the food with digestive juices churning it into a creamy liquid called chyme.

 

Acid bath in the stomach

The stomach’s wall has tiny openings which lead to deep holes called stomach glands or gastric glands. The food arrives in the stomach is drenched in gastric juice released by these glands and protein in the food starts to digest.

 

Digestive juices in the stomach contain a very strong acid called hydrochloric acid. It can digest meat and even small pieces of bones. The stomach lining is covered with a layer of protective, jelly-like mucus to prevent hydrochloric acid damaging the stomach.

 

Digestive system for kids - Human Stomach - Parts of the digestive system Human Stomach

 

Click to go back to the contents


 

Small Intestine

The small intestine is six-metre-long tube, which is coiled up below the stomach and the liver. It is lined with millions of tiny finger-like things called villi. These villi give the small intestine a folded surface so that the wall of the small intestine can collect all the important nutrients in the food.

 

Did you know?

The villi that line your small intestine would cover an area about the size of a tennis court, if you were to spread them.

 

Digestive system for kids - Villi in small intestine of the Human Digestive system Villi in small intestine of the human Digestive system

 

Functions of the small intestine:

Chemical digestion and the absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream

 

After leaving the stomach, food spends one to two days passing slowly through the intestines.

 

During this time, food is broken down into small molecules of nutrients and fully digested. The enzymes produced by the villi of the small intestine’s wall, bile (produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder), and pancreatic enzymes finish the digestion process.

 

The essential nutrients, such as glucose and amino acids pass through the villi of the small intestine’s wall and into the bloodstream. This is called absorption.

 

There are three main parts of the small intestine.

 

Parts of the small intestine

  • Duodenum
  • Jejunum
  • Ileum

 

Digestive system for kids - Small intestine - Parts of the human digestive systemSmall intestine of the Human Digestive System

 

Click to go back to the contents


 

Large Intestine (Colon)

Also, known as colon. Large intestine is about 1.5m long. Though it is shorter than the small intestine, the large intestine has got its name as its diameter is bigger than the small intestine.

 

Function of the large intestine:

Absorption of water from the food remains

 

The remaining food particles leave the small intestine and enter the large intestine. By the time liquid food reaches the large intestine, most useful nutrients have been removed. The large intestine then absorbs most of the remaining water, leaving waste material and bacteria to be pushed out through the rectum as faeces (poo). It takes 10-12 hours for the food to pass through the large intestine.

 

There are billions of friendly bacteria live in the large intestine. These bacteria are not harmful. We get these bacteria from the raw vegetables we eat, and also from some yoghurts.

 

How do friendly bacteria in your large intestine help you?

  • They help in the digestion process.
  • They defend you from invading germs.

 

There are three main parts of the large intestine.

 

Parts of the large intestine

  • Transverse colon
  • Ascending colon
  • Descending colon

 

What is the cecum?

Cecum is a cul-de-sac at the beginning of the large intestine which is connected to the junction of the small and large intestines.

 

Function of cecum:

Cecum helps to form feces by mixing partially digested food from the small intestine with bacteria.

 

Digestive system for kids - Large Intestine - Parts of the human digestive system Large Intestine of the Human Digestive System

 

Digestive system for kids - Inside view of the Large Intestine (Colon) Inside view of the Large Intestine (Colon)

 

Now digestive system for kids lesson is ready to explain about the wired noises that sometimes come from your tummy.

 

Listen to your food at work!

 

Have you ever felt that your intestines squeezing and moving your food? Also sometimes, you might have heard the rumbling given off by your tummy.

 

Put your ear close to a friend’s tummy and listen to the gurgle of liquid and air bubbles inside and enjoy listening to how food is busy working inside the tummy.

 

Digestive system for kids - Small intestine and large intestineSmall Intestine and Large Intestine

 

What is the appendix?

The appendix is joined to the intestines. It is a small tube that is closed at one end. It can be removed, if it becomes diseased, because we can absolutely live without it.

 

Click to go back to the contents


 

Rectum

Function of the rectum:

The remains of food and water is stored in the rectum.

 

Rectum is located in the bottom part of the large intestine. It is a stretchy, expandable pouch which stores the solid waste (faeces) pushed out of the large intestine. When you visit the toilet it can be pushed out through an opening called the anus.

 

Remember: Don’t forget to wash your hands after using the toilet. The waste matter that you pass from the digestive system is full of germs, such as bacteria, which can make you ill. These bacteria give poo its unbearable smell too.

 

Digestive system for kids - Appendix, Rectum and Anus - Parts of the digestive systemAppendix, Rectum and Anus

 

Did you know?

Fibrous food make your poo large and soft, so that it can be easily pushed out through your gut. If you eat lots of root vegetables and have a high fibre diet, you can pass more poo without any difficulty and feel much better.

 

Amazing!

Passing wind, or farting, is perfectly normal and allows the body to get rid of gas that builds up inside the intestines. Everyone passes wind and the average person may do it up to 25 times a day, although they may be unaware of it.

 

Next, let’s learn about the accessory digestive organs with this digestive system for kids lesson.

 

Click to go back to the contents


 

Accessory digestive organs

Several other organs play an important role in helping the intestines to digest your food.

 

What are the other accessory digestive organs help to digest food?

  • The liver
  • The gallbladder
  • The pancreas

 

These are located high up in the abdomen, around the stomach and the first part of the small intestine.

 

Click to go back to the contents


 

The Liver

The liver is an essential organ in your body which you cannot live without. Once the blood has collected nutrients from the small intestine, it passes them to the liver.

 

Functions of the liver

  • Making special proteins to build new cells
  • Storing sugars and fats
  • Removing poisons from the blood
  • Bile production and excretion

 

Did you know?

The liver can repair and regrow if its cells have been lost or damaged.

 

Digestive system for kids - The Liver - Parts of the digestive system The Liver

 

Click to go back to the contents


 

The Gallbladder

The liver makes a dark green or yellowish brown liquid called bile. This liquid is stored in a small bag called the gallbladder. Bile is released into the intestine when you eat something.

 

Function of bile

Bile turns food fat into tiny droplets that are easier to digest and absorb.

 

Digestive system for kids - The Gallbladder - Parts of the human digestive system The Gallbladder

 

What is jaundice?

A newborn baby’s liver does not work properly for a few days. Until then, the coloured chemicals in bile can build up in the blood and turn the skin yellow. This is called jaundice.   

 

Click to go back to the contents


 

The Pancreas

The pancreas is a tail-shaped organ. It empties a complex mixture of digestive juices into the small intestine which we call pancreatic juices.

 

Functions of pancreatic juices

  • Breaking down carbohydrates, fats and proteins into microscopic nutrients
  • Producing chemical signals or hormones such as insulin, which controls sugar levels in the blood

 

What is diabetes?

Some people do not make enough insulin themselves and have illness called diabetes. They may need to inject themselves with insulin everyday.

 

Digestive system for kids - The Pancreas - Parts of the human digestive system The Pancreas

 

Digestive system for kids - Bottom Part of the Human Digestive SystemLower Part of the Human Digestive System

 

Click to go back to the contents


 

Hope you’ve enjoyed learning this lesson, Human digestive system for kids.