By Emma Jayne Morgan
Skeletons are a common sight during Halloween and this activity is a fun way for children to create their
own. It is also a great way to introduce children to an aspect of their own bodies. Introduce the subject
by showing them X-rays and explain about the bones inside our bodies. Then encourage them to make
their own skeletons using black paper, cotton buds and glue. The children can use the cotton buds as
bones to create their own skeleton. Ensure children are given the freedom to create their own skeletons
which look however they want them to. This should be about the process and conversations during the
activity, rather than having perfect skeleton crafts at the end.
For younger children why not use black play dough to make the activity less permanent, and allow them
to experiment with their skeleton shapes more.
This activity can encourage children to talk about their bodies
in lots of different ways and using a book to complement it can
also be fun, for example the story ‘Funny Bones.’ ore.
This book also introduces the concept that
animals also have skeletons, but that they look
different to ours. If you have access to a light table
and real X rays this could be made even more
exploratory. If not, why not create your own by
printing images onto tracing paper and holding
them up to the window.