Youth Health Lesson Series
Facilitators Guide
Building Bones
Objective:
This lesson will give children information on the importance of healthy bones and the role that
physical activity and a healthy diet play in bone health.
At the End of This Lesson Participants Will Be Able to Answer the Following Questions:
♦ What kind of exercises help to make bones strong?
♦ What kinds of foods contain calcium to make bones strong?
Key Teaching Points:
♦ Including weight-bearing exercises in your daily physical activity is important for building strong
bones.
♦ Kids ages 4 to 8 need about 800mg or two servings of calcium-rich foods a day to build strong
bones. Kids aged 9 to 18 need about 1,300 mg or three servings of calcium-rich foods a day to build
strong bones.
Lesson Preparation and Suggestions:
♦ Use demonstrations to show what can happen to bones if we do not get enough weight-bearing
activity and calcium when we are young. One example is the string cheese demonstration. Choose
two sticks of string cheese that are stiff with strings that peel away (a “light” variety works well).
One stick demonstrates a healthy bone. It is solid and strong. Take the other stick and peel away
several layers. Try to peel a layer from the center of the cheese. This demonstrates a weak bone. It is
damaged and very flexible and flimsy.
♦ This health lesson provides an opportunity to have calcium-rich refreshments at the end. Milk, orange
juice with added calcium, yogurt, pudding made with milk, and string cheese are some ideas.
♦ For more information on bone health and children visit the National Bone Health Campaign –
Powerful Bones. Powerful Girls at www.cdc.gov/powerfulbones or the National Institutes of
Health: National Institute of Child Health & Human Development – Why Milk Matters Now for
Children and Teens, available at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/milk/milk_facts.htm.
Materials Needed
Lesson Activity
♦ You will need the containers of calcium-rich foods to provide as examples of what children can eat
to get their recommended amount of calcium each day.
o Yogurt
o Cheese
o Milk
o Soy products fortified with calcium
Lesson Materials
♦ Jump rope for each child in the group
Handouts
A Strong Skeleton
Building Bones Take-home Handout
Evaluation Answers
1) T 2) F 3) T 4) F 5) T
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Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
The development of the HEEL program was made possible by Senator Mitch McConnell with funds earmarked for the University of
Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Lexington, KY and budgeted through the CSREES/USDA Federal Administration.
Building Bones Lesson Evaluation
Mark the following statements as True or False.
Please give this form to your lesson leader when you are finished.
___ 1) Running is a weight-bearing activity.
___ 2) Riding a bike is a weight-bearing activity.
___ 3) Participating in weight-bearing activity and eating calcium-rich foods are two ways you can
build strong bones.
___ 4) You need about 500 mg of calcium a day.
___ 5) Milk, yogurt, and cheese are good sources of calcium.
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Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
Youth Health Lesson Series
Building Bones
Building Bones
Youth Health Lesson
What Are Bones?
Everyone stand up. What is it that you think is holding you up right now? That’s right, it’s your
bones. The bones fit together to make your skeleton. The skeleton gives your body shape and
structure. With the help of muscles, the skeleton helps you to move. It is important to keep your bones
strong as you grow so that they can continue to help your body move.
(Note: If there are any children in the group who are unable to stand, instruct all of the children to
sit up straight instead of standing.)
How Can I Make My Bones Strong
There are two main ways to make bones strong. The first is participating in weight- bearing exercise.
The second is eating enough foods high in calcium. Let’s start by focusing on physical activity.
Weight-Bearing Exercise
We all know that getting enough physical activity can keep us healthy and fit. An added benefit of
some physical activities is that they make your bones stronger. These types of activities are called
weight-bearing exercises. Weight-bearing means that you are on your feet. This type of exercise causes
new bone tissue to form and strengthens the bone. When it comes to physical activities, not all of them
are considered weight-bearing. Check out the list below to find some great weight-bearing activities.
You don’t need to cut out activities that are not considered weight-bearing, just add in some weightbearing activities to your normal routine.
Weight-Bearing Activities:
Jumping rope
Running
Soccer
Dancing
Hopscotch
Karate
Activities That are Not Weight-Bearing:
Biking
Swimming
Riding a scooter
Hiking
Tennis
Call on Calcium
The calcium you get from eating a variety of foods helps to strengthen your bones. The calcium used
to harden the bone is carried in the blood. The calcium in the blood comes from the foods we eat. If
you are between the ages of 4 and 8 years old, you should try to get about 800mg of calcium or two
servings of calcium rich foods each day. If you are between nine and eighteen you should get 1,300 mg
of calcium or three servings of calcium-rich foods each day. That sounds like a lot, but think of how
big your skeleton is. That calcium has a lot of work to do!
Note: The following information about foods and the amount of calcium each contains may be too
advanced to include in the lesson for some children. This information may only be appropriate for
the education of the instructor.
For a younger group, emphasize the number of servings of calcium-rich foods. Use the list below as
examples of the types of foods they should eat for their two to three servings a day.
Calcium is listed on food labels in milligrams. Have some of these foods available during the
lesson to show the children where to find this information if you are working with a group old
enough to understand milligrams. Also, show them how to find the information on food labels.
The amount of calcium in foods can be found on food labels. Below are a few foods you might enjoy,
along with the amount of calcium each of them contains.
♦ 1 cup of plain, fat-free yogurt – 450 mg
♦ 1 cup of fruit yogurt – 315 mg
♦ 1 ½ ounces of cheddar cheese – 305 mg
♦ 1 cup of fat free or low fat milk – 300 mg
♦ 1 cup of orange juice with added calcium – 300 mg
♦ 1 cup of a soy beverage with added calcium – 250 to 300 mg
♦ 1 ounce of mozzarella cheese – 207 mg
♦ ½ cup pudding made with milk – 147 to 160 mg
♦ 1 slice of cheese pizza – 111 to 147 mg
Aim to eat a variety of calcium-rich foods every day. When you combine this with lots of weightbearing activity, the result can be healthy, strong bones for a lifetime!
Once you have covered the lesson body in a manner that meets the specific needs of your group,
move on to the activity lesson. The handout can be sent home with the children.
The lesson evaluation can be used to assess how well the children retain the information taught from
the lesson body. Depending on the age of your group, the evaluation can be filled out by the children,
or the questions can be asked verbally by the instructor and answered by the children as a group.
Sources:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention: The National Bone Health Campaign
Powerful Bones. Powerful Girls.
“Bone Up: Hard Facts”
“Bone Up: How to Make Strong Bones”
“Staying Strong: Fitness Fun”
“Staying Strong: Calcium-Where To Get It”
available online at http://www.cdc.gov/powerfulbones.
National Institutes of Health: National Institute of Child Health & Human Development – Why Milk Matters
Now for Children and Teens, available at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/milk/milk_facts.htm.
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
The development of the HEEL program was made possible by Senator Mitch McConnell with funds earmarked for the University of
Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Lexington, KY and budgeted through the CSREES/USDA Federal Administration.
Youth Health Lesson Series
Building Bones
Lesson Activity
Jumping for Better Bones
Jumping rope is a great activity to add to this lesson. It can be done in several ways and it can be
either competitive or non competitive.
Activity Ideas
♦ Give each child a jump rope.
o As the leader, choose a type of jump: double hop, right or left leg hop, backwards jump,
crisscross.
o Have all children begin jumping, first one to make a mistake or miss a jump is out. Continue with
rounds, until all but one person is out. The last person left is the winner.
♦ Use one or two long jump ropes for the whole group.
o Choose two people to be rope turners.
o Each child gets a turn and the group counts each jump until a mistake is made.
o The person with the most jumps after everyone has had a turn is the winner.
♦ Give each child a jump rope.
o As the leader, choose a type of jump: double hop, right or left leg hop, backwards jump,
crisscross.
o Have the children jump in the way that was chosen.
o Every 30 seconds to one minute, call out a new type of jump.
Follow the activity with some calcium-rich refreshments!
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Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
Youth Health Lesson Series
Building Bones
Handout
A Strong Skeleton
Your skeleton is made up of many bones. It is important that your bones stay strong so it can carry
your body and help you move. Two ways you can strengthen your bones is by doing weight-bearing
physical activity and by eating foods rich in calcium every day.
Circle the weight-bearing activities and calcium-rich foods below.
Riding your bike
Playing soccer
French Fries
Cheese
Playing basketball
Milk
A piece of hard candy
Jumping rope
Swimming
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Answers: soccer, cheese, basketball,
milk, jumping rope
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Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
BUILDING BONES
THE FAMILY’S PART
Laying the Foundation
Our bodies are composed of bones carefully
joined together to form our skeleton. Our
skeleton gives the body shape and structure and
allows us to move.
It is important to keep bones strong throughout
life. Building strong bones begins in childhood.
Bones are rapidly growing at this stage in life
and need activity and nutrients to lay a strong
foundation. Bones continue to grow, but they
reach their strongest possible point in our 20s.
Encouraging your child to participate in practices
that contribute to bone health will ensure that
they have the strongest bones possible when they
reach their 20s. By teaching healthy habits in
childhood, you will improve the chances of your
child carrying on these practices in adulthood.
Engaging in weight-bearing activities, or those
that cause your body to work against gravity,
can strengthen bones. The actions of these
activities stimulate bones to make more tissue,
increasing their strength.
Non-Weight-Bearing Activities
Biking
Skateboarding
Swimming
Riding a scooter
Calcium is a major component of bone, and eating
calcium-rich foods improves bone strength. When
bone is forming, it lays a framework that is
somewhat flexible. This framework is composed of
a protein called collagen. The calcium then spreads
through this framework and helps to harden the
bone, making it stronger. If your child is between 4
and 8 years old he or she should get about 800 mg
of calcium or two servings of calcium rich foods
each day. Between 9 and 18 years old, he or she
should get 1,300 mg or 3 servings of calcium-rich
foods each day.
Calcium can be found in a variety of foods.
Generally, low-fat dairy products such as milk,
cheese, and yogurt contain the most calcium.
However, if dairy products are not part of your
or your child’s diet, calcium can be found in
some green, leafy vegetables and in products
fortified with calcium, including soy products
and orange juice.
There are many activities that are considered
weight-bearing, and, chances are, your child
already participates in some of them. All physical
activities are important, so your child does not
need to cut out any activities. Instead, encourage
him or her to add in some weight-bearing exercise.
Weight-Bearing Activities
Jumping rope
Running
Soccer
Dancing
Hopscotch
Karate
Hiking
Tennis
Contact your local county Extension office:
BUILDING BONES
KID’S CLUB
Bone-Building Ideas
Building strong bones is easy. The activities that make bones strong are fun to do alone or
with a group of friends. When you’re done with your weight-bearing activity, enjoy a
snack filled with lots of calcium.
Need some help?
Check out the activities below, and start moving!
Try one of the great snacks listed, or be creative and make up your own recipe!
Get Moving!
♦ Have a Dance-a-thon!
Have your friends over, and put in your
favorite CD. Make a circle and take turns in
the center of the circle showing off your
best moves!
♦ Grab your jump rope!
See how many times you can jump without
making a mistake. Keep count, and try to
break your own record!
♦ Be a teammate!
Organize a group in your neighborhood,
and play a game of basketball or soccer. If
you have enough people you can form a
league with mini-teams of two or three.
Have your own tournament with a
championship match!
♦ Chalk it up!
Use sidewalk chalk to mark a course for
hopscotch. Draw start and finish lines for a
mini-race. Grab a stop-watch and see how
fast you can run the race course.
Eat Up!
♦ Make a parfait!
Layer low-fat, vanilla yogurt, your favorite
fruit, and a calcium-fortified cereal in a
dessert dish.
♦ Snack smart!
Snack on low-fat cheddar cheese cubes,
apple slices, and a tall glass of low-fat milk.
♦ Warm up!
Make a cozy mug of hot chocolate with lowfat milk or soy milk with calcium added.
♦ Stay cool!
Pour your favorite low-fat yogurt into
paper cups. Add a popsicle stick, and freeze
until firm. Tear away the paper, and enjoy a
cool treat.
♦ Make dinner tonight!
With an adult’s help, mix low-fat, cottage
cheese, mozzarella cheese, basil, and garlic
with cooked, whole-wheat pasta. Cover it
with your favorite sauce, and bake for 20
minutes.
Sources:
Food and Nutrition Information Center—Dietary Reference Intakes: Elements available online at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/etext/
000105.html
Center for Disease Control and Prevention: The National Bone Health Campaign: Powerful Bones. Powerful Girls.
“Bone Up: Hard Facts”,
“Bone Up: How to Make Strong Bones”,
“Staying Strong: Fitness Fun”,
“Staying Strong: Calcium-Where To Get It” available online at http://www.cdc.gov/powerfulbones.
National Institutes of Health: National Institute of Child Health & Human Development – Why Milk Matters Now for Children and
Teens, available at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/milk/milk_facts.htm.
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
The development of the HEEL program was made possible by Senator Mitch McConnell with funds earmarked for the University
of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Lexington, KY and budgeted through the CSREES/USDA Federal Administration.