Genetics & HeredityGrade 6 Science for Kids

DNA, genes, dominant and recessive traits and Punnett squares.

Genetics & Heredity helps sixth graders zoom from the body down to DNA, use Punnett squares to predict eye color and sort Mendel's pea plants by their traits. An engaging introduction to genetics.

  • Grade 6 · Ages 11–12
  • 3 lessons
  • 3 experiments
  • 12 practice questions
  • About 25 min
Start Learning Free Open the Course
  • From Body to DNA
  • Zoom In
  • Punnett Squares
  • Eye Color Odds
  • Mendel's Peas
  • Mendel's Garden

Science lab course · Grade 6

Genetics & Heredity · Learning goals

What Your Child Will Learn

Zoom from your body down to DNA, use Punnett squares to predict eye color, and sort Mendel's pea plants by the traits they show.

  • Cells hold chromosomes made of DNA, and genes on the DNA carry instructions for traits.
  • Dominant genes show with one copy. Two bb parents can only have blue-eyed children.
  • Plants show the dominant trait unless both genes are recessive.

Why it matters

Why This Matters for Kids

  • Why we are unique

    Genetics explains how traits pass from parents to children.

  • Predicting with probability

    Punnett squares connect biology to math and probability.

  • Modern science

    DNA is at the center of medicine, forensics and biotechnology.

Inside Genetics & Heredity

How the Course Works

Each level has a short read-aloud lesson, an interactive experiment and a mini quiz.

  1. Step 1 · Lesson

    From Body to DNA

    Your body is made of trillions of cells.

  2. Step 2 · Experiment

    Zoom In

    Let's zoom in from your whole body down to DNA. Put the levels in order, from biggest to smallest.

  3. Step 3 · Lesson

    Punnett Squares

    You get two copies of each gene: one from each parent.

  4. Step 4 · Experiment

    Eye Color Odds

    Let's use Punnett squares to find the chance of a brown-eyed child for different parent pairs.

  5. Step 5 · Lesson

    Mendel's Peas

    Gregor Mendel studied pea plants in the 1860s and discovered how traits are inherited.

  6. Step 6 · Experiment

    Mendel's Garden

    Let's read the genes of each pea plant. Will it show the dominant or the recessive trait?

Lesson preview

A Peek Inside the Lesson

This is the real lesson text your child hears, read aloud by a friendly voice.

From Body to DNA

Your body is made of trillions of cells.

Inside each nucleus are chromosomes, made of a long molecule called DNA.

Sections of DNA called genes are instructions for your traits.

Punnett Squares

You get two copies of each gene: one from each parent.

A dominant gene (B, brown eyes) shows even with one copy. A recessive gene (b, blue) shows only with two copies.

A Punnett square predicts the chance of each trait in children.

Mendel's Peas

Gregor Mendel studied pea plants in the 1860s and discovered how traits are inherited.

Tall (T) is dominant over short (t). Purple flowers (P) are dominant over white (p).

A plant shows the recessive trait only if both genes are recessive: tt or pp.

For parents

Try It at Home

Learning sticks best when kids use it in real life. Here are simple ideas from this course.

Parent Tip

Draw a Punnett square for a family trait, like dimples or earlobes, and talk about the chances of each result.

Zoom In

  1. With a grown-up, extract DNA from a strawberry!
  2. Mash it with salt water and dish soap, then strain it.
  3. Gently pour cold rubbing alcohol on top: white DNA strands appear.

Cells hold chromosomes made of DNA, and genes on the DNA carry instructions for traits.

Eye Color Odds

  1. Draw a 2×2 square. Put one parent's genes on top, the other's on the side.
  2. Fill each box with one letter from the top and one from the side.
  3. Count the boxes with a big B!

Dominant genes show with one copy. Two bb parents can only have blue-eyed children.

Mendel's Garden

  1. Flip two coins: heads = T, tails = t.
  2. Do it 20 times and tally TT, Tt and tt.
  3. About 3 in 4 plants will be tall!

Plants show the dominant trait unless both genes are recessive.

Practice

Grade 6 Science Practice Questions

Real questions from Genetics & Heredity. Try them with your child, then tap to see the answer.

  1. Question 1

    What are genes made of?

    • A.DNA
    • B.Water
    • C.Bone
    Show answer

    DNA

  2. Question 2

    How many copies of each gene do you get?

    • A.One
    • B.Two
    • C.Ten
    Show answer

    Two

  3. Question 3

    Who discovered how traits are inherited?

    • A.Isaac Newton
    • B.Albert Einstein
    • C.Gregor Mendel
    Show answer

    Gregor Mendel

The full course has 12 questions with instant feedback, stars and rewards. Create a free account to play them all.

Genetics & Heredity · Questions from parents

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this course for?

Genetics & Heredity is a grade 6 science course for kids ages 11–12. That is Year 7 science in the UK and Year 6 in Australia. It also works well for review in the next grade, or as a challenge for a confident younger learner.

What will my child learn?

Zoom from your body down to DNA, use Punnett squares to predict eye color, and sort Mendel's pea plants by the traits they show. Along the way they practice: Cells hold chromosomes made of DNA, and genes on the DNA carry instructions for traits; Dominant genes show with one copy. Two bb parents can only have blue-eyed children; Plants show the dominant trait unless both genes are recessive.

How long does the course take?

About 25 minutes in total, split into 3 short levels. Most kids finish it over two or three sessions. Progress is saved, so they can stop any time and pick up where they left off.

Is this course free?

Genetics & Heredity is part of SkillBloom Premium, which unlocks every course in every subject. Each subject also has free courses, so your child can try SkillBloom before you decide.

Does my child need to read well to use it?

No. Every lesson has a friendly read-aloud voice, questions are read aloud too, and the pictures help kids follow along. Confident readers can turn the voice off.

Can we use it for homeschool?

Yes. SkillBloom is built for homeschooling families. Kids work through lessons, games and quizzes on their own, and the parent dashboard shows what they finished and which skills need more practice. It works on phones, tablets and laptops.

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