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DNA and Genetics Activities for Students

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 In this post, we share some DNA and genetics activities and resources to help your kids understand genetics.

Be sure to check out the free printable lesson about DNA. We partnered with Lindsey Zetzsche, who is a genetics professional and founder of Science Geek Games and the DNA card game, Variation. Lindsey prepared this DNA lesson and activity for multiple grades. She has taught genetics to a variety of grade levels. The request form is below.

I worked in the genetics field for 15 years and found it fascinating! Although my educational background was not related to genetics, I soon became a student.

DNA, mRNA, and all of the terms and processes may seem difficult to teach or understand, so I’ve put together this list of DNA and genetics activities that I hope will help in your homeschool, co-op, or classroom alongside your science curriculum.

We have a popular post, extracting DNA from a strawberry, that is easy to do and comes with a free worksheet packet. It’s so easy and helps students actually see DNA, rather than have it be a concept they read about. 

Family Resemblance

The easiest way to explain genetics to young learners is to have them look at their own families. Talk about eye color family members share. For instance, my daughter and my husband have blue eyes that change color with their moods or the weather – not sure which. My son is a carbon copy of my husband. My eyes are the same color and shape as my mom’s and my grandmother’s eyes.

These shared physical attributes are caused by genetics. Genetics is simply the passing of information from parents to offspring.

For a long time, people thought things like being able to roll your tongue or earlobe attachment are controlled by a single gene. However, a review of data has yielded a different opinion. You can read more about this  at Learn Genetics from the University of Utah.

Enjoy the resources below-there are videos, activities, explanations, coloring pages (even for high school level), and more. I have tried to notate the resources that are definitely for older students. 

Download the Free DNA Lesson Printable

We teamed with Lindsey Zetzsche, who is a genetics professional and founder of Science Geek Games and the DNA card game, Variation. Lindsey prepared this DNA lesson and activity for multiple grades. She has taught genetics to a variety of grade levels.

Additional resources are listed below:

DNA and Genetics Activities and Resources

Sharing is caring!