Why do we have a tongue?
Your tongue helps you taste, chew, swallow and talk!
Pip’s answer
- Your tongue helps you taste, chew, swallow and talk!
- It has tiny taste bumps that tell sweet from sour.
- It pushes your food around so your teeth can chew it. Munch munch!
- Wow-ee, your tongue moves in so many ways to make every word!
Try it together
Can you say la la la and feel your tongue dance?
For grown-ups
The tongue is a group of muscles that help us chew, swallow and speak. It's covered in small bumps called papillae, many of which contain taste buds that detect sweet, salty, sour, bitter and savory (umami). Taste buds are spread across the tongue, not in separate 'zones'.
Ask your child: Can you name something sweet, salty and sour?
More questions kids ask
- 🪥Why do I have to brush my teeth?
- 🦷Why do we lose our baby teeth?
- 🍋Why are lemons sour?
- ❤️Why does my heart beat?
- 😴Why do we need to sleep?
- 🥱Why do we yawn?
Got your own why?
Hold Pip, ask anything out loud, and watch the answer come to life.
Ask Pip your own question