WORD HUNT!
In the article, find:
WORD HUNT!
In the article, find:
The little fox has spent the night dashing through the tall grass and playing with its siblings. It’s exhausted! Time to catch some Zzz’s.
The animal stretches out its furry paws and breathes in deeply. Its mouth opens wide.
Yaaaaaawn!
Like the young fox, all vertebrates (or animals with backbones) yawn. Humans do it too, at least six times a day. But why?
The little fox spent the night running through the grass and playing with its siblings. It’s exhausted! Time to catch some Zzz’s.
The animal stretches out its furry paws. It breathes in deeply. And the fox’s mouth opens wide.
Yaaaaaawn!
Like the young fox, all animals with backbones yawn. Humans do it too.
We yawn at least six times a day. But why?
Energy Boost
Scientists think yawning has a special purpose: to give the brain an energy boost so it stays awake and vigilant. That’s why you often yawn when you’re feeling bored during a long car ride or drowsy after soccer practice. It helps you to not doze off!
How does yawning wake you up? Experts aren’t totally sure, but they have some ideas. One is that yawning cools down your brain. (When your brain gets too warm, it can make you feel fatigued.) As you yawn, you breathe in a lot of air, which is usually cooler than your body. Yawning also helps pump cooler blood from your heart into your brain.
Scientists think yawning has a special purpose. Yawning gives the brain an energy boost. It needs this boost to stay awake and vigilant.
That’s why you often yawn when you’re feeling bored during a long car ride or drowsy after soccer practice. Yawning helps you to not doze off!
How does yawning wake you up? Experts aren’t totally sure. But they have some ideas. One is that yawning cools your brain. (When your brain gets too warm, it can make you feel fatigued.) As you yawn, you breathe in a lot of air. This air is usually cooler than your body. Yawning also helps pump cooler blood from your heart into your brain.
Watch Out!
One thing scientists know for sure is that yawning is contagious. That means if you spot your friend (or even your dog!) yawning, you’ll probably yawn as well. The same happens among other animals that live in groups, like chimps, elephants, and lions.
The reason, experts say, may have to do with safety. When a yawn spreads, it could be a way to make sure the group’s members are alert, looking out for danger. In other words, yawning is a silent, secret message that says, “Wake up and watch out!”
Now tell us: Did reading this story make you yawn? Hopefully not. But maybe the adorable photo of the little fox yawning did.
There is one thing scientists know for sure. Yawning is contagious. That means if you spot your friend (or even your dog!) yawning, you’ll probably yawn as well. The same happens among other animals that live in groups, like chimps, elephants, and lions.
Experts say the reason may have to do with safety. When a yawn spreads, it could be a way to make sure the group’s members are alert, looking out for danger.
In other words, yawning is a silent, secret message. This message says, “Wake up and watch out!”
Now tell us. Did reading this story make you yawn? Hopefully not. But maybe the cute photo of the little fox yawning did.
PARAGRAPH POWER!
Write a paragraph explaining why people (and some animals) yawn. Our online skill builder will show you how!
PARAGRAPH POWER!
Write a paragraph explaining why people (and some animals) yawn. Our online skill builder will show you how!
This article was originally published in the September 2025 issue.
This article was originally published in the September 2025 issue.
