How Hearing Works — Two 39-Word Rephrasings for a 6-Year-Old

Two simple, child-friendly 39-word rephrasings explaining how hearing works: sound enters the outer ear, moves the eardrum and three tiny bones into the cochlea, then nerves send the message to the brain.

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Here are two simple rephrasings (each 39 words) for a 6-year-old:

  1. Hearing begins when a sound wave travels into the outer ear and hits the eardrum. The eardrum pushes three tiny bones that carry the sound into a snail-shaped tube (cochlea). Then the nerves send the message to the brain.
  2. Sound makes hearing start when a wave moves into the outer ear and bumps the eardrum. The eardrum moves three tiny bones, which send the sound into a snail-shaped tube (cochlea). Nerves then also tell the brain the message.

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