A Four-Year-Old Discovers Body Mapping

As an Andover Educator I have many visual aids for teaching around my apartment. Recently, my four-year-old nephew, Ryne, was spending the night. As is his habit he likes to explore my home for the unusual or exotic. At one point I noticed him looking at my life-size photograph of a human skeleton hanging on the wall. 

“Uncle David, are there really rocks in my body?”

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“Where do you see rocks in the picture, Ryne?”

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“Here . . . ,” he responded, pointing to a wrist.

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“Well, Ryne, those aren’t rocks, those are eight bones that just look like stones.”

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“Oh . . . ,” as he began to palpate one of his own wrists.

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Then he pointed to the iliac crest of the pelvis in the photograph, “I can feel THESE on me, too!”

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I decided to prompt him a little further by pointing to the ribs in the photo. I showed him how he could explore his own ribs with his fingers. Then I invited him to feel for my ribs. Next, we looked at my 18-inch model skeleton. We explored the sternum and xiphoid process on the model, then on ourselves following the angling down of the rib cartilage and moving around to our sides.

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This special moment showed me how easily encouraging the exploration and discovery of accurate body knowledge can be, especially at such an early age.