why questions · Ages 6-8

Why Do Knees and Elbows Bend but Foreheads Do Not?

Knees and elbows are joints where bones meet and move, while the forehead is part of the skull and is built to protect the brain.

The whole story

1. On a bright Saturday morning, Mina crouched on the kitchen rug and tied her purple sneakers. She was ready for the Bendy-Body Challenge.

2. First, Mina tested her knees. She folded them into a deep squat to pick up her orange backpack. Her knees were excellent benders.

3. Next, she tried her elbows. They folded neatly as she hugged the backpack to her chest. “Bend!” Mina whispered. Her elbows agreed.

4. Then Mina stood before the hallway mirror. She tried to fold her forehead the way her elbows folded. She scrunched her eyebrows, puffed her cheeks, and waited. Her forehead stayed as smooth and steady as a little wall.

5. Mina needed a clue. She opened a child-friendly anatomy book and placed one finger on her bent elbow. The book gave her an answer: under the skin, bones meet at places that can move. Those places are called joints.

6. Mina bent her elbow and knee again. At each joint, one bone met another and made a handy hinge. Her body had built-in bendy spots.

7. Mina touched her forehead gently. It was not a loose hinge waiting to bend. It was part of the curved skull, a strong shell around the brain. Suddenly, not bending made sense.

8. Mina made her best bendy-body pose. Her knees folded. Her elbows folded. Her forehead stayed firm, guarding what was inside. Knees and elbows are joints where bones meet and move, while the forehead is part of the skull and is built to protect the brain.

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