Function

The skeletal/muscular system is in charge of  protection, keeping your body’s shape, and movement. 

Skeletal System Organs: Bones

Structure - The bones inside your body help keep your shape. Without bones, you would be a giant puddle. 

Protection - Bones also protect soft organs to keep them safe. For example, your skull (bone) acts like a hard outer shell to protect your brain (soft organ).

Muscular System Organs: Muscles

Skeletal Muscles -Skeletal muscles attach to bones to provide your body with movement. An example would be when you think about tapping your pencil on the table. You CONTROL skeletal muscles with your thoughts and move your pencil to hit the table.

Smooth Muscles - Muscles are also important for digestion. The muscles in your stomach, small intestine, and large intestine are smooth muscles. Smooth muscles are not controlled by your thoughts. You cannot tell your stomach, “DIGEST THIS CHICKEN PATTY”... your stomach does this automatically

Cardiac Muscles - Another example of automatic muscles can be found in your heart. These muscles keep your heart pumping without you having to think about it. Heart muscles are called cardiac muscles. 

Ever wonder what your heart is made of? Cardiac muscle! This is one of the many ways that the the skeletal/muscular system works closely with the circulatory system. Another way that these systems work together is rib bones  from your skeletal/muscular system protect the heart from external injury. Did you know that blood is created inside bone marrow? It is! 

What protects your brain from a soccer ball flying toward your head?That's right, your skull! This is one way that the bones from the skeletal/muscular system work with the nervous system. 

How does your mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines break down and move the food through the digestive system? Bones and muscles of course! Digestion starts in the mouth. Your teeth (bones) mash up the food. Your jaw can move up and down to mash the food because muscles in your jaw allow it. When you swallow, smooth muscles take it from here! Smooth muscle lines your esophagus, stomach, and intestines. It works unconsciously moving the food through the rest of your digestive system.