What Did You Inherit? A Scientific Look at Inherited Traits

Take your students on a journey through their DNA and help them discover where they inherited all of their unique traits with a fun inherited traits science lab! This year, we invite you to try out one of Teach Starter’s new Science lab activities and help your students really understand those science standards!

Inherited Traits Investigation for Kids!

This resource is designed for elementary students as an introductory lesson in human genetics, specifically focusing on inherited traits. To participate in this lab, students will complete the following.

• Learn about commonly inherited traits, such as hair color, tongue rolling, hitchhiker’s thumb, dimples, freckles, hair texture, and more!
• Analyze their own unique traits to determine which common traits they have.
• Interview and observe a parent or relative to see which traits they have.
• Predict which traits they believe they will pass on to their offspring if they have children in the future.
• Analyze their results and respond to critical thinking questions using their findings.

This printable download includes all of the handouts and graphic organizers students need to complete this science lab. We’ve also included a common traits reference chart for students to reference when observing their traits.

Download and Print Your Inherited Traits Activity!

This resource is available as an easy-to-use Google Slides or Printable PDF Resource file. To get your copy, click the dropdown arrow on the download button to select the file format you prefer. Make your copies, prepare your students, and you’re ready to begin!

This resource was created by Brittany Kellogg, a teacher in Ohio and Teach Starter Collaborator.

Even More Ideas for Teaching Genetics for Kids!

Don’t stop there! We’ve got even more ideas and resources to help you teach your students all about inherited traits!

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Inherited versus Learned Behaviors Poster

Explain the difference between inherited and learned behaviors with a set of printable anchor charts.

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Inherited and Acquired Plant Traits - Reading Passage

Read and learn about inherited and acquired traits in plants with a printable reading comprehension passage and worksheet.

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Inherited and Acquired Plant Traits Research Project

Help your students uncover the different inherited and acquired traits of plants with a research project!