Muscles KS2

Explore how muscles work, how they help the body move and find clear, ready-to-teach KS2 activities to help your pupils understand this key part of the human body with confidence.

PlanBee Animals Including Humans Year 3 Science Lessons by PlanBee

Health and Movement - Lesson 7: Moving Muscles

Designed to cover the animals including humans Year 3 strand of the Science curriculum, this 'Health and Movement' scheme of work teaches your KS2 class how animals, including humans, need specifi...

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In the lesson:

This Muscles KS2 lesson pack will help you introduce your Year 3 class to the different types of muscles their bodies have, before looking specifically at skeletal muscles and how these work in pairs to move bones. In their independent activities, children ask and answer questions about how muscles work using the Fact Cards provided. In the alternative activity, children are challenged to pay attention to different parts of their body as they move them, thinking about what muscles they are using and how it feels.

This Muscles KS2 Science lesson includes:

a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities
a slideshow for the teaching input
a range of printable resources for independent learning activities

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Muscles KS2

What is a muscle?

A muscle is a tissue in your body, made of lots of small stretchy fibres grouped together. Muscles help us move. They can stretch and shorten, allowing things like walking, lifting, or even your heart beating.

How many muscles are in the human body?

The human body has around 600 muscles.

The major muscle groups in the human body are:

Upper Body:
- Chest (Pectorals): Muscles that make up your chest.
- Back: (Latissimus Dorsi, Trapezius) Muscles that support your spine and help move your shoulders and arms.
- Shoulders (Deltoids): Muscles around your shoulders that help move your arms.
- Arms:
  - Biceps: Front of the upper arm, helps bend the elbow.
  - Triceps: Back of the upper arm, helps straighten the elbow.
Core:
- Abs: Muscles in your stomach that help with movement and stability.
- Lower Back: Muscles that support your spine.
Lower Body:
- Quadriceps: Front of the thigh, helps extend the knee.
- Hamstrings: Back of the thigh, helps bend the knee.
- Glutes: Muscles in your buttocks that help with hip movement.
- Calves: Muscles in your lower leg, help you walk and run.

These muscle groups work together to help you move, stand and stay stable.

The main muscle groups of the body.

How do muscles work?

Muscles work by contracting, or getting shorter, and relaxing, or getting longer. This process involves muscle fibres (the cells that make up muscles) and the signals from your brain.

Here’s how it works:

Signal from the Brain: When you want to move, your brain sends a signal through nerves to the muscle.
Muscle Contraction: The muscle fibres inside the muscle slide past each other, making the muscle shorter and tighter. This pulls on the bones or other structures the muscle is connected to.
Relaxation: Once the muscle has contracted, it relaxes when the signal from the brain stops, and the muscle returns to its normal length.

In simple terms: Muscles work like rubber bands – they stretch and shrink to create movement!

What are the three types of muscles?

Skeletal Muscle: These muscles are attached to bones and help with voluntary movements (like moving your arm).
Cardiac Muscle: Found only in the heart, it helps pump blood.
Smooth Muscle: Found in organs like your stomach and blood vessels, it helps with things like digestion and controlling blood flow. These muscles move without you controlling them.