Mouth for Kids
Your mouth helps you eat, drink, talk, and taste yummy foods — like ice cream and pizza!
What’s Inside Your Mouth?
Your mouth has teeth (to chew), a tongue (to taste), and lips (to help you talk and smile).
Fun Facts About Mouths
- Your tongue has thousands of tiny taste buds — sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
- You swallow about 1,000 times a day — even while sleeping!
- Babies don’t have teeth when they’re born — they grow later.
- Your mouth makes saliva to help you digest food.
Let’s Learn More!
Taste something sweet, sour, salty, and bitter — can you guess which is which?
More to Discover
- Your mouth helps you eat, talk, sing, and smile.
- Adults have 32 teeth, but kids start out with about 20 smaller baby teeth.
New words to learn: teeth, tongue, smile, chew
Try This: Practice saying a silly tongue twister as fast as you can!
🏫 Classroom Activity
Have children taste small safe samples of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter foods and guess which is which. Talk about how the tongue's taste buds help identify each flavor.
🏠 Homeschool Activity
Look in a mirror together and count teeth, talking about how baby teeth eventually fall out to make room for adult teeth. Practice a silly tongue twister and see who can say it fastest.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What parts are found inside the mouth?
The mouth contains teeth, a tongue, and lips.
What tastes can the tongue detect?
The tongue detects sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami flavors.
How many teeth do kids and adults have?
Kids have about 20 baby teeth, which are replaced by 32 adult teeth.
Why does the mouth make saliva?
Saliva softens food and helps begin digestion.
What activities help kids learn about the mouth?
Tasting different flavors, practicing tongue twisters, counting teeth, or coloring a printable worksheet.