Mouth Digestion begins in the mouth itself.

The food is broken down into smaller pieces using the teeth. Chewing makes the job easier for the digestive juices in the stomach. Spit or saliva formed in the mouth breaks down the food using enzyme ptyalin. The tongue then rolls the masticated food into a ball, known as bolus and pushes it to the posterior end of the mouth into the pharynx. Pharynx The pharynx is a five-inch long tube that serves as a common passage for both food and air. Pharynx function in the digestive system is to allow the bolus passed from the mouth, to enter the esophagus, which is the next part of the digestive system. Esophagus The esophagus is a ten-inch long passage that is situated between the trachea and the spine and opens into the upper end of the stomach. The esophagus function is to pass food, saliva and liquids to the stomach, which is received from the pharynx. With the help of several sphincters, lining the walls of the esophagus, contractions are formed which allows the passage of food to the stomach. Stomach The stomach is a sac-like structure and happens to be the most dilated part of the digestive system. The primary function of the stomach is to collect and break down food. The stomach contains a digestive juice called gastric juice, which digests food like meat, eggs and milk. However, gastric juice does not digest starch, sugars and fats. It also contains hydrochloric acid and pepsin enzymes. Some food remains in the stomach for the next 2-5 hours, while some of the liquids and other smaller particles get emptied fast. This partly digested food called chyme is then passed from the stomach to the small intestine. Small Intestine Stretching from the stomach to the large intestine is a 20 feet long small intestine, which is coiled in the central portion of the abdominal cavity. It is in this small intestine where the most extensive part of digestion occurs. Small intestine's function is digestion and absorption of ingested food. The supportive organ; pancreas secrete digestive enzymes which help in digestion of food. Carbohydrates, lipids and proteins are broken down and digested. Moreover, the salts secreted by the liver and gallbladder work in coordination with pancreatic lipase and digest lipids. Large Intestine The large intestine is a five-feet long tube, which is subdivided into different parts such as the cecum, colon and rectum. The function of the large intestine function is to absorb water and mineral salts from the digested food received from the small intestine. Moreover, the friendly bacteria present in the colon produces vitamin K, which is needed for the body's blood clotting process. The function of the rectum is to receive waste material or feces from where the sigmoid colon is stored, until it is excreted out of the body via the anus. Anus The anus or anal opening is the last part of the digestive system. Through it, the feces are eliminated from the body finally. You could draw a diagram of the digestive system and explain the digestive system function for kids. It will help them understand the process better. Hope this article on the function of digestive system was simple and helpful.