Here are three simple ways to say it so a 6-year-old can understand:
- Smells are tiny bits in the air that tickle the nerves inside your nose and tell your brain what you are smelling.
- When tiny pieces of things float into your nose, they touch special sensors that send messages to your brain so you know the smell.
- Little particles drift into your nose and bump into nerve sensors; those sensors send signals to your brain and that is how you smell.