Body Movements Class 6 Notes – Quick Revision

Body Movements Class 6 notes explain how bones, joints and muscles work together to produce movement and how animals such as earthworms, snails, cockroaches, birds, fish and snakes move in different ways.

Updated for 2026–27: this page preserves the familiar older NCERT topic name because students still search for it. NCERT currently lists Curiosity as the Class VI Science textbook with a different chapter sequence, so students should follow the current textbook used by their school for chapter numbering while using these notes for the underlying concepts.

Concept	What to remember
Skeleton	The framework of bones and cartilage that supports and protects the body.
Muscles	Muscles contract and relax to pull on bones and produce movement.
Joints	Places where bones meet; different joints allow different ranges of movement.
Ball-and-socket joint	Allows movement in many directions, for example the shoulder and hip.
Hinge joint	Mainly allows bending and straightening, for example the elbow and knee.
Pivot joint	Allows rotation, such as the joint involved in turning the head.
Animal movement	Different animals use different body parts, muscles and body shapes for locomotion.

Watch & Learn: English + Hindi Video Lessons

English: Body Movements – Complete Class 6 Lesson

This English lesson explains the skeleton, skull, spine, rib cage, joints and the movement of vertebrates and invertebrates. It is useful for students who want a complete visual explanation before or after reading the notes.

हिंदी: शरीर में गति – One Shot Revision

यह हिंदी वीडियो मानव शरीर की गतियों, जोड़, कंकाल तथा केंचुआ, घोंघा, तिलचट्टा, पक्षी और मछली जैसे जीवों की चाल को एक साथ समझाता है।

Human Body and Its Movements

Movement is a change in the position of the whole body or a body part. Human movement depends mainly on the coordinated action of bones, joints and muscles. From infancy onward, movements such as rolling, crawling, standing and walking develop as the nervous and musculoskeletal systems mature.

Skeletal System

• Bones form a strong internal framework called the skeleton.
• The skeleton includes bones and cartilage.
• Bones are hard and strong, while cartilage is more flexible.
• Skeletal muscles attach to bones through tendons and help move body parts.

Functions of the Skeleton

• Supports the body and gives it shape.
• Protects organs; for example, the skull protects the brain and the rib cage protects the heart and lungs.
• Provides attachment points for muscles so movement can occur.
• Stores minerals such as calcium and phosphorus.
• Bone marrow in some bones produces blood cells.

Muscles:

Skeletal muscles produce movement by contracting (shortening) and relaxing. A muscle can pull on a bone but cannot push it, so many movements are controlled by muscles working in pairs. For example, one muscle bends the arm at the elbow while another helps straighten it.

The body has three main types of muscle tissue:

• Skeletal muscle: attached mainly to bones and used for voluntary movement.
• Cardiac muscle: found only in the heart.
• Smooth muscle: found in the walls of organs and blood vessels, where it works automatically.

Cartilage

• Cartilage is a firm but flexible connective tissue that is softer than bone.
• It helps give shape to structures such as the outer ear and nose.
• Articular cartilage covers the ends of many bones at movable joints, helping reduce friction and absorb shock.

Joints

A joint is the place where two or more bones meet. Some joints allow a wide range of movement, some allow movement mainly in one direction, and some are fixed.

• Ball-and-socket: shoulder and hip.
• Hinge: elbow and knee.
• Pivot: helps the head turn at the top of the neck.
• Fixed: many joints between skull bones.

Ball and socket joint:

A ball-and-socket joint has the rounded end of one bone fitting into a cup-like socket of another bone. It allows movement in many directions, as seen at the shoulder and hip.

Pivotal joint:

A pivot joint allows rotation. In the upper neck, the joint between the first two cervical vertebrae helps us turn the head from side to side. Nodding the head up and down mainly occurs at a different joint between the skull and the first cervical vertebra.

Hinge joint:

A hinge joint mainly allows bending and straightening in one plane. The elbow and knee are familiar examples; finger joints also show hinge-like movement.

Fixed joints:

Fixed joints allow little or no movement. Many of the joints between the bones of the skull are fixed and help form a strong protective case around the brain.

Movement in Animals and the Body Parts Involved

Locomotion means movement of the whole animal from one place to another. Different animals use different structures and movement patterns depending on their body plan and habitat.

Animal	Main body parts involved	How it moves
Earthworm	Body-wall muscles and tiny bristles called setae	Alternately lengthens and shortens its segmented body while gripping the ground.
Snail	Muscular foot and mucus	Glides forward as waves of muscular contraction pass along the foot.
Cockroach	Three pairs of legs; wings in adults	Walks or runs using jointed legs and can fly using wings.
Bird	Wings, breast muscles and legs	Flies by moving the wings; many birds also walk, hop or swim.
Fish	Body muscles, tail and fins	Swims mainly by side-to-side body and tail movements; fins help steer and balance.
Snake	Long spine, ribs and muscles	Uses coordinated muscular waves and contact with the ground to move.

Earthworms :

An earthworm has a segmented body and no internal bony skeleton. Circular and longitudinal muscles alternately lengthen and shorten the body, while tiny bristles called setae help grip the ground. Repeating this cycle moves the earthworm forward and helps it travel through soil.

Snail :

A snail has a hard protective shell and a broad muscular foot. The shell protects the soft body but does not itself produce movement.

Waves of muscular contraction pass along the foot and push the snail forward. Mucus secreted beneath the foot reduces friction, helps the snail glide over surfaces and offers some protection from rough ground.

Cockroach :

• A cockroach has a hard external skeleton called an exoskeleton.
• It has three pairs of jointed legs attached to the thorax for walking and running.
• Adult cockroaches typically have two pairs of wings, also attached to the thorax.
• Muscles inside the body move the legs and wings.

Birds

Birds use their wings and strong breast muscles for flight. Many flying birds have lightweight bodies and some bones contain air spaces, which can reduce mass without making the skeleton useless for support. Birds also use their legs for walking, hopping or perching, and some species such as ducks use their feet for swimming.

Fish

Most fish have a streamlined body that reduces resistance in water. Muscles on the two sides of the body contract in sequence, bending the body and tail from side to side. The tail provides much of the forward thrust, while fins help with balance, steering and braking.

Snakes

Snakes have many vertebrae, ribs and muscles. In a common form of movement called lateral undulation, muscular waves create side-to-side curves and the body pushes against irregularities in the ground to move forward. Snakes can also use other types of locomotion depending on the species and surface.

5-Minute Revision Checklist

• Explain the difference between bone and cartilage.
• Name the four joint types covered here and give one example of each.
• Describe how skeletal muscles move bones by contraction and relaxation.
• Match earthworm, snail, cockroach, bird, fish and snake with the body parts they use for locomotion.
• Explain why a streamlined shape helps a fish move through water.

Body Movements Class 6 FAQs

What is movement in Class 6 Science?

Movement is a change in the position of the whole body or a body part. In humans, bones, joints and muscles work together to produce most visible movements.

What are the main types of joints?

Common examples taught at this level are ball-and-socket joints, hinge joints, pivot joints and fixed joints. Each type allows a different range or direction of movement.

How does a snail move?

A snail moves using a broad muscular foot. Waves of muscle contraction pass along the foot, and mucus reduces friction and helps the snail glide over surfaces.

How does an earthworm move?

An earthworm alternately lengthens and shortens its segmented body using muscles. Tiny bristles called setae help grip the ground during movement.

Is Body Movements still Chapter 8 in the current NCERT Class 6 Science book?

The older NCERT Science book used Body Movements as a chapter title. NCERT’s current Class VI Science textbook is Curiosity and uses a different chapter sequence. The concepts on skeletons, joints, muscles and animal locomotion remain useful science learning even when the chapter number differs.

Related Class 6 Science Resources

• NCERT Solutions – Body Movements
• Getting to Know Plants – Class 6 Notes
• The Living Organisms and Their Surroundings – Class 6 Notes
• Motion and Measurement – Class 6 Notes

Current Class 6 Science Textbook Reference

For the latest NCERT Class VI Science chapter sequence, students can check the official Curiosity textbook listing. Use the notes on this page for body-movement concepts and your current school textbook for the exact chapter number and prescribed activities.

Study tip: after reading the notes, try to demonstrate one hinge movement, one ball-and-socket movement and one pivot movement using your own body, then explain which bones and muscles are involved.