The Human Heart for Kids

Do you know why the heart is so important? In The Human Heart for Kids video, you will learn that the heart, apart from pumping blood, also carries lots of other important things throughout the body. The heart is an organ made up mostly of muscle, and it plays a vital role in keeping you and your body healthy and strong.Show more

The human heart is one the most important organs of the body that is essential for survival. It is part of the circulatory system, which is the body system that carries blood and other substances to and from the heart. The other main parts of the circulatory system are blood vessels, which include veins, arteries, and capillaries. And the heart beats automatically because it's controlled by the autonomic nervous system. In 24 hours, your heart averages about 115,000 beats per day!

So how does the heart work exactly? Well, the heart consists of left and right ventricles at the bottom and left and right atriums at the top. Blood pushes through the atriums into the ventricles on each side of the heart through little "gates" every time the heart beats. These gates basically help ensure the blood flows in the right direction. The blood travels through the different vessels throughout the rest of the body. You can think of blood vessels as little train tracks that carry blood to different parts of the body. The trip for a single drop of blood throughout the body takes only about a minute.

Blood carries oxygen, food, minerals, and vitamins as well, and all these things help your body move, grow, and make repairs. In fact, they even help you think! The stuff in your blood that the body doesn't need gets set out as waste through the lungs, kidneys, and liver. To keep your heart healthy, there are a few things you can do. Exercising will help strengthen the muscles of your heart. Eating fruits and vegetables also helps keep your arteries clear. Drinking plenty of water is also essential because water makes up about 83% of the heart. If you don't have enough water, your heart can become less and less healthy. Finally, remember to move around. Moving around helps both your body and your mind.