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Why do you have your mother's eyes? The answer starts with your family and zooms all the way in to the molecules inside your cells.
Children look a bit like their parents. That's because parents pass on instructions to their children that help shape how they grow.
The color of your eyes comes from instructions passed down from your parents. These instructions are called genes, and they decide things like whether your eyes are brown, blue, or green.
Every cell in your body has a nucleus, and inside that nucleus are all the instructions that make you, you. This is where your genes are kept safe.
Inside the nucleus, the instructions are bundled up into neat packages called chromosomes. Humans have 46 of them, 23 from each parent.
Each chromosome is made of a long, twisted molecule called DNA. It looks like a twisted ladder, the famous double helix. DNA carries the code for everything your body needs to build and run itself.
When a cell needs to use an instruction from DNA, it makes a copy called RNA. RNA is like a messenger, it carries the instruction out of the nucleus to where it's needed.
The ribosome reads the RNA message and uses it to build something. It's like a tiny factory inside the cell, linking pieces together one by one.
What the ribosome builds is a protein. Proteins do almost everything in your body, from giving your muscles strength to making your eyes the color they are.
Prop a card up during tummy time, about 20–30 cm from your baby's face. Hold the card steady and let your baby focus on the bold shapes. Try placing one at eye level wherever your baby spends time, and rotate cards every few days to keep things fresh.
Start with just 3 or 4 pairs, face up. Ask your child to find the two that look the same. As they get the hang of it, add more pairs. Older toddlers can try turning them face down for a memory game.
