Joints Facts for Kids – 5 Facts about Joints
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Joints are very important to our human body. Why is that?! Let’s discover five joints facts for kids.
Joints Facts for Kids Fact Number 1: Ball and Socket Joints Are The Most Mobile Joints
Ball and socket joints allow you to move your arms and legs in many different directions. Examples of ball and socket joints are your hip and shoulder joints. Ball and socket joints look how their name describes.
Ball and socket joints are made up of the round end of one bone fitting into a small area of another bone that looks like a cup. Ball and socket joints allow us to swing our arms and legs in all directions.
Your arm and your legs are both the ball joint while your shoulder and hip are the socket that those bones connect to.
Joints Facts for Kids Fact Number 2: Joints Are The Place Where Two Bones Connect
Joints are what allow you to bend your toes, fingers, arms and legs. They are what allow us to move. Without joints our body would be stiff and we wouldn’t be able to walk or complete tasks as easily.
Any part of your body that you can swing or bend is probably a joint. Joints have cartilage in between them, which help to make the movement flexible.
Bones are also held together at the joints by ligaments, which are like very strong rubber bands made from tissue.
Joints Facts for Kids Fact Number 3: There Are Many Different Types of Joints
Our body is made up of many different joints and our bones are connected in different ways. We have different joints to allow us to perform different movements. For example we don’t have ball and socket joints in our fingers because we don’t need to swing them around.
Ellipsoidal joints allow bending and extending. These joints can be found in your knuckles and wrists. Gliding joints are located between flat bones that are held together by ligaments, for example your spine and ankles.
Hinge joints are those in the knee and elbow. These joints are named after the hinges that you would see on door frames. These joints can only move in one direction back and forth.
Joints Facts for Kids Fact Number 4: Some Joints Are Fixed
When you think of joints you think of movement however, not all joints move. Fixed joints are fixed in place. They are immovable, meaning they cannot move at all. Examples of parts of the body which are fixed joints are your pelvis and your skull.
Joints Facts for Kids Fact Number 5: Joints Make Their Own Fluid
I already spoke about the door hinge, well when the hinge gets squeaky we often put oil on it to make it stop squeaking and move better. Joints work in the same way and must be lubricated to work properly.
If we can’t see or touch our joints then how can we oil them? Well our joints actually come with their own special fluid called synovial fluid. This helps them move freely.
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