Labeling Activities for Anatomy & Physiology

Whether you are in medical school or merely just curious, the fields of human anatomy and physiology are both fascinating and complex. The human body has so many organs, glands, muscles and other miscellaneous parts that most people have some initial trouble remembering them all. Your studies of human anatomy (the study of body parts and structure) and physiology (the study of how the body parts function) will benefit from fun activities and games designed to help you learn and remember all the necessary body parts and functions.

Drawing Activities

• After you learn about a certain section of the body, print out a black and white diagram of the specific bodily region. Look online for websites that have free anatomical coloring pages such as Enchanted Learning. If your anatomical diagram already has labels on it, white them out or cover them with bits of paper. If you feel you already have a good handle on what goes where, begin to label each part.

  Use a variety of colors to distinguish each body part's physiological function. For instance, color blood vessels blue and parts of the body's endocrine system purple. Students who are earlier in the studying process may want a cheat sheet handy with all the correct labels. To facilitate learning, go through each part you will need to know and state the body part's physiological function and characteristics aloud as you label it on the blank sheet.

Clay Models

• Whereas the activity in Section 1 uses a diagram that you label, you can also work the other way around. Take a list of anatomical parts and each body part's physiological function. Start with a particular region of the body and name all the parts aloud. As you name each part, mold a small replica of the part with clay or Play-Doe. Use your anatomy book to guide you along in the early stages of learning the body parts. At first your models may not look like exactly like the body parts and you may mix-up where everything fits. Don't worry. As you compare your model to the real anatomy, adapt your model until you gain a better understanding of form and location.

  If you have access to an existing model, get a group of your friends or classmates together and play a physiological naming game. Get one person to act as the host. The host will point to a specific region of the body or subsection of an organ and ask the players to buzz in. One point will be awarded for correctly naming the part (with an extra point for correct spelling) and you will receive an additional point if you can correctly say the part's physiological function.

Anatomy Puzzles

• Many companies, such as 4D, create both three-dimensional and traditional jigsaw puzzles to help students and enthusiasts learn about anatomy and physiology. Cover over any labels and then disassemble the puzzle. As you attempt to put it back together again, label the parts in each puzzle piece with removable pieces of paper or erasable ink. To make anatomy/physiology puzzles more fun, work on the puzzle with a friend. Take turns identifying the body parts and physiological function of each puzzle piece/body part.

  If you don't have access to a pre-made puzzle, take a large picture that depicts a part of the human body and create your own puzzle with scissors. To make your puzzle sturdier, laminate it or paste the picture onto a piece of cardboard.