Skeleton Crew: free Halloween game to learn the bones of the body

What is Skeleton Crew?

The skeleton band has a gig tonight, but the drummer's bones are all over the floor. Pick each of the 12 major bones from the box and put it back on the skeleton: every bone that clicks in makes the band dance faster. Then the band's roll call asks what each bone does.

Skeleton Crew is a free Halloween game about basic anatomy. The skeleton band has a gig tonight and the drummer's bones are all over the floor: the skull, the jaw, the collarbone, the breastbone, the ribcage, the spine, the upper arm and forearm bones, the hips, the thigh bone, the kneecap and the shin bones.

Pick a bone from the box and tap its spot on the skeleton, or drag it there. Each bone that clicks in tells you what it does and makes the band dance faster. Then the roll call asks six quick questions: which bone protects the brain, which one is the longest, which ones let your wrist turn.

At a glance

Category

Seasonal

Difficulty

Easy

Play time

2–3 min

Price

Free, in your browser, sign-up optional

How to play

Pick, then place

Pick a bone from the box, then tap its spot on the skeleton, or drag it there. A wrong spot gives you a hint.

Learn the job

Every bone that clicks in tells you what it does: protect the brain, guard the heart, carry your weight.

Roll call

Six quick questions: which bone does this job?

Score

100 per bone placed first time, 40 after a wrong spot, and 100 per right roll-call answer.

Three levels

Beginner labels each spot with its body part and asks 4 roll-call questions. Expert uses scientific names, gives no hints and a 75-second build. Each level keeps its own best score.

Scoring

Each bone placed first time scores 100 points, 40 after a wrong spot. Each right roll-call answer adds 100.

Twelve bones and six questions, no timer. Your best score is kept in this browser.

What it trains

Naming bones

The 12 major bones, with their everyday and scientific names.

Where they sit

From the skull and jaw to the kneecap and shin.

What they do

Protecting the brain, guarding the heart and lungs, carrying your weight.

Strategy and tips

Start at the top

Skull, then jaw, then collarbone: working down the body makes the spots easier to find.

Pairs and groups

The forearm and the shin each have two bones, and the ribcage is twelve pairs of ribs.

Two names

Most bones have an everyday name and a scientific one: thigh bone and femur, kneecap and patella.

Use the hints

A wrong spot tells you what the bone does, which points to where it goes.

Why play Skeleton Crew?

Knowing the main bones helps in sport, first aid, science class and at the doctor's. Skeleton Crew turns the classic labelling exercise into a friendly band rehearsal: no gore, just a cheerful drummer getting its groove back.

Frequently asked questions