Dr. Gillaspy has taught health science at University of Phoenix and Ashford University and has a degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic.
The Muscular System Lesson for Kids
The Muscular System
Who has more muscles: a first grader or an adult bodybuilder? Muscles can grow but, surprisingly, every person has the same number of muscles - more than 600. These muscles make up your muscular system, and they can be categorized into three different types: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac.

An error occurred trying to load this video.
Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support.
You must cCreate an account to continue watching
Register to view this lesson
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed.
Get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons.
Try it nowAlready registered? Log in here for access
BackYou're on a roll. Keep up the good work!
Just checking in. Are you still watching?
Yes! Keep playing.Skeletal Muscles
When you think about your muscles, you probably think about the ones that make you run fast and lift heavy things. These are your skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscles are sometimes called voluntary muscles because you choose to move them.
For example, when you want to kick a soccer ball into the goal, you tell your leg muscles to kick. Skeletal muscles are attached to your bones by tendons. When you decide to kick, your brain sends an electrical signal down your nerves to your leg muscle. This electrical message tells your muscle to contract or shorten. The contracting muscle pulls on the bone and makes it move. This is what allows you to score that goal.
You have skeletal muscles all over your body. The ones in your back help you stand up straight. Skeletal muscles in your face contract to make you smile. You even have small skeletal muscles in your eyes that let you look up and down.
Smooth Muscles
You can't tell your smooth muscles what to do because they're involuntary muscles. Smooth muscles are found in organs, like your stomach, intestines, and bladder.
Smooth muscles help you with automatic functions in your body, such as digestion. Smooth muscles in the walls of your esophagus, stomach, and intestines contract and relax, pushing food in a one-way path through your digestive tract.
Sometimes when you're sick, smooth muscles make food go the other way, and you throw up! When you throw up, smooth muscles in your digestive tract contract to force the irritating food out of your stomach, up your esophagus, and out your mouth. Yuck!
Cardiac Muscle
Cardiac muscle is the third type of muscle in your body. Like smooth muscle, cardiac muscle is involuntary. Cardiac is a fancy word for heart, so I bet you can guess what this type of muscle does. It's the muscle that makes up your heart. It contracts and relaxes to pump blood around your body. Your heart beats about 70 times per minute when you're sitting still. Can you imagine if you had to tell your heart to beat 70 times each minute? You couldn't get anything else done!
Lesson Summary
Okay, let's quickly review what we've learned in this lesson about your muscles.
The muscles of your body make up your muscular system. Skeletal muscles are sometimes called voluntary muscles because you choose to move them. Smooth muscles in your organs and cardiac muscle in your heart are involuntary muscles. Think about this next time you're kicking a ball toward a goal.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Register to view this lesson
Unlock Your Education
See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com
Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a MemberAlready a member? Log In
BackThe Muscular System Lesson for Kids
Related Study Materials
- Science Courses
- Study Courses
- Study Guide & Help Courses
- Elementary School Courses
- Intro to Astronomy: Help and Review
- Honors Chemistry Textbook
- AP Environmental Science Textbook
- Physics: Credit Recovery
- Biology 101: Intro to Biology
- Chemistry 101: General Chemistry
- NY Regents Exam - Chemistry: Help and Review
- High School Chemistry: Tutoring Solution
- High School Chemistry: Homework Help Resource
- Praxis Biology: Content Knowledge (5235): Practice & Study Guide
- DSST Astronomy: Study Guide & Test Prep
- ILTS Science - Physics (116): Test Practice and Study Guide
- ILTS Science - Earth and Space Science (108): Test Practice and Study Guide
Browse by Courses
- Allozyme: Definition & Electrophoresis
- What is an Isozyme? - Definition & Electrophoresis
- What is Amylase? - Definition & Function
- Bioluminescence: Definition & Types
- Bioluminescence in Fish, Insects & Cats
- Quiz & Worksheet - Alpha Helix Protein
- Quiz & Worksheet - Amylase Composition
- Quiz & Worksheet - Amino Acid Residue
- Quiz & Worksheet - Amino Acid Sequences
- Quiz & Worksheet - Bioluminescence in Plants, Fungi & Bacteria
- Atmospheric Science and the Environment
- Pollution of Freshwater Resources
- Population and the Environment
- Food and Agricultural Resources
- Land Resources
Browse by Lessons
- TExES Science of Teaching Reading (293): Practice & Study Guide
- Next Gen NCLEX-PN Study Guide & Practice
- Next Gen NCLEX-RN Study Guide & Practice
- TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391): Practice & Study Guide
- TExES School Counselor (252): Practice & Study Guide
- Multithreading, Networking & Machine Learning in Python
- Digital Forensics
- The Internet of Things and Networking
- Network Routing and Switching
- Virtual Servers and Networking
- How to Pick Your Homeschool Curriculum
- Role of Student Support in Open & Distance Learning
- TExES Principal Exam Redesign (068 vs. 268)
- Teacher Salary by State
- ESL Resource Guide for Teachers
- What is a Homeschool Co-op?
- How to Start Homeschooling Your Children
Latest Courses
- Mechanistic & Organic Organizational Business Structures
- Chemical Nomenclature & Notation
- Factors Impacting Family & Consumer Sciences
- Heritability Coefficient
- Preparation Procedures for Aerobic & Anaerobic Bacteria Specimens
- Defense Risk Control Strategy
- Compulsory Education: Definition, Laws & History
- Quiz & Worksheet - Common Health Problems in the US
- Quiz & Worksheet - Types of Personality Disorders
- What are Dinosaurs Related to? - Quiz & Worksheet for Kids
- Quiz & Worksheet - Memory Hole in 1984
- Flashcards - Real Estate Marketing Basics
- Flashcards - Promotional Marketing in Real Estate
- How to Differentiate Instruction | Strategies and Examples
- History Essay Topics for Teachers
Latest Lessons
- FTCE General Knowledge Test (GK) (828): Mathematics Subtest Practice & Study Guide
- Government 101: Intro to Government
- High School Psychology Textbook
- AP US History: Exam Prep
- ScienceFusion The Diversity of Living Things: Online Textbook Help
- Experimental Laboratory Chemistry - AP Chemistry: Homeschool Curriculum
- The Early 20th Century Progressive Era: Homeschool Curriculum
- Quiz & Worksheet - The Bosnian War
- Quiz & Worksheet - Weather Forecasting Processes & Tools
- Quiz & Worksheet - Function of the Parasympathetic Nervous System
- Quiz & Worksheet - Characteristics of Biomass
- Quiz & Worksheet - Capsid
Popular Courses
- How to Create a Great Resume and Cover Letter
- Hugh Lofting: Biography & Books
- Common Core State Standards in New Mexico
- Study.com School Plans
- Common Core State Standards in Missouri
- Supply and Demand Activities for Kids
- Creative Writing Prompts
- Summer Tutoring Ideas
- Success Coaching with Study.com
- What is Micro Credentialing?
- Illinois Common Core Standards
- Creative Nonfiction Writing Exercises
Popular Lessons
Math
Social Sciences
Science
Business
Humanities
Education
History
Art and Design
Tech and Engineering
- Tech and Engineering - Videos
- Tech and Engineering - Quizzes
- Tech and Engineering - Questions & Answers
Health and Medicine
- Match the following to their function. A) Extends the foot B) Flexes the foot C) Extends the thigh and flexes the leg D) Extend the leg E) Flexes the supinated forearm F) Extends the lower arm G) Flexes the head and neck H) Closes the eyes I) Dra
- For each of the actions listed, give the insertion (moving bone), the origin (fixed bone) and the side of the joint on which the muscle must be located for a muscle capable of this action.
- (a) What joint and muscle movement are involved in working at a computer in an office? (b) How are they involved?
- What does the muscular system do for the human body?
- How many involuntary muscles are in the human body?
- What is the muscular system composed of?
- Define the following terms in the context of the muscular system: a. Origin b. Insertion c. Prime mover d. Antagonist e. Synergist f. Fixator
- Identify and explain the joints and muscles movements involved in cycling. Focus your discussion on the lower body.
- Match the following bones and muscles to their locations. a. metacarpals b. pelvic girdle c. mandible d. nasalis e. platysma 1. ischium 2. nose 3. jaw bone 4. jaw muscle 5. hand bones
- Fatigued muscle cells that recover rapidly are the products of: A) intense exercise of long duration B) intense exercise of short duration C) slow exercise of long duration D) slow exercise of short duration
Explore our library of over 84,000 lessons
- Create a Goal
- Create custom courses
- Get your questions answered