22 Immune System Activities for Kids

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Hands-on learning with immune system activities developed for different grade levels helps children understand the intricacies of our immune system. The human body and the way we fight off infections is fascinating! The human immune system, germs, and practicing healthy hygiene habits have become topics our children have become very familiar with.

We have divided these immune system activities by two loose age levels. However, one of our goals at TheHomeschoolScientist.com is to make science fun and accessible for all types of learners and a multitude of learning differences. So, don’t hesitate to bring all of the ages together in your homeschool to do some of the activities. Younger students will walk away with new knowledge if an activity may appear above grade level. They love doing “older school”. Older siblings can learn the material really well when they work alongside siblings completing simpler activities.

The goal is to help our children enjoy learning and develop lifelong habits of seeking new knowledge.

Biographies are one of my favorite ways to enrich one our science studies and add history into the activities. We discovered the Heroes of History series from YWAM and have listened to over 25 different biographies. Clara Barton’s biography is an excellent resource when studying the human body or the immune system. You can read our review of this book and two others here.

Immune System with Activities for Kids Preschool – High School

Immune System Activities for Preschool and Early Elementary

• A short video about germs from Cincinnati Children’s. Good for K-4.

• Teaching Kids About Germs  activity pages and coloring pages
• Growing Germs Activity includes two printables – for different grade levels.
• Make a Mold Terrarium
• The How the immune system works video from KidsHealth.org is a fun, animated overview.
• If your kids love The Magic School Bus series, try The Magic School Bus World Of Germs science kit!
• Glitter Germs Activity
• Germ Detective Activity
• Cinnamon Germs Activity
• What is the Immune System video from Learn Bright
• Proper nutrition is important to maintaining a strong immune system. Check out our nutrition printable pack with a Food Journal, food label activity, and “Eat the Rainbow” activity.
• Download this handwashing poster from Lysol
• Handwashing lesson plan for Preschool-K from Lysol
• Handwashing lesson plan for Preschool-K from FloridaHealth
• Immune system cell matching game

Middle School and High School Immune System Activities and Resources

• Growing Germs Activity – Scroll to the bottom and request the high school PDF on bacteria, antiseptics, and disinfectants
• Antigen and ELISA activity from TryEngineering.org
• Understanding the Immune System PDF from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Health.
• A 5-minute video on the immune system, its components, and how it fights off infection. Grades 5-adult.
• Fighting Back! from TeachEngineering.com
• What are hand sanitizers? How do they work? – Video from PBS
• Pathogen Busters hands-on activity to help students understand the roll of pathogens
• Proper nutrition is important to maintaining a strong immune system. Check out our nutrition printable pack with a Food Journal, food label activity, and “Eat the Rainbow” activity.
• This immune system card game is great for middle and high school students. In the sidebar of this link are the links to the printable cards and supply list.
• This is an interesting video on natural killer cells.
• The Bacteria Book
• You can swab surfaces around the house and use those swabs to inoculate Petri dishes to see which surfaces have the most bacteria. Be ready for some surprises!
• An EXTENSIVE list of immunology-related terms from The International Union of Immunological Societies.
• Fighting Infections With Your Immune System
• Fighting Back! – Engineering and the Immune System
• Viral Hijackers
• How Big is a Virus?  Video

Don’t miss the entire Human Anatomy and Physiology series from The Homeschool Scientist.

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