Chewing gum Facts for Kids

Chewing gums often come in sticks wrapped in foil.

Chewing gum is a fun type of candy. It's flavored with natural sugar or artificial sweeteners, and often tastes like mint or fruit. People chew gum for enjoyment, and it can even help clean your teeth! When you first get it, gum can be soft and chewy, or hard and then it softens in your mouth.

The Story of Chewing Gum
Different Kinds of Chewing Gum
What Chewing Gum Does
Images for kids
See also

The Story of Chewing Gum

People have been chewing gum for a very long time! The first types of gum were made from things like spruce sap and beeswax. The first real chewing gum was sold many years ago. About 30 years later, in the 1880s, gum was made to keep its flavor for a longer time. After that, many famous brands started finding new ways to make gum even better and add more flavors, leading to the chewing gum we know today.

Different Kinds of Chewing Gum

There are many different types of chewing gum, each with its own special features!

Stick Gum

This gum comes in a flat, rectangular stick shape.
It often has refreshing flavors, like mint.

Bubble Gum

This is the best gum if you want to blow big bubbles!
It comes in many fruity flavors.
You'll often find bubble gum in small, square shapes.

Jawbreaker Gum

This gum starts as a small, hard shape, usually a sphere.
It has a soft, chewy center inside.

Gum with a Purpose

Some gums are made to help you in different ways.
They might have vitamins or different minerals added to them.
There's even gum that helps people who want to stop a bad habit, by giving them something else to chew.

What Chewing Gum Does

Chewing gum can have different effects on your body and even the environment.

For Your Health

Chewing gum can be good for you in some ways!

Dentists sometimes suggest sugar-free chewing gum because it can help clean your teeth.
Gum with sugar can sometimes harm your teeth, depending on the type of sugar.
Chewing gum can also help you avoid eating unhealthy snacks.

For the Environment

The chewing gum we use today doesn't break down easily in nature.

This means it can stay in the environment for a long time.
It's also hard to clean up when it gets stuck on sidewalks or other places.

Other Cool Effects

Some studies show that chewing gum can help you focus better.
There are also new types of gum being made that can help with things like dry mouth or give you a boost of energy!

Images for kids

Sticks of Fruit Stripe chewing gum
This picture shows how people traditionally get chicle from a chicozapote tree (Achras zapota) in Mexico. They make zigzag cuts, a method used since the ancient Mayan civilization.
Chewing gum balls being made at a factory.
A big, colorful bubblegum bubble.
A special bin for collecting used chewing gum.