What are meanders?

A river can bend and twist like a snake as it flows, and those bends are called meanders.

Imagine you're playing with your favorite toy boat in a puddle. At first, the water is still, but when you flick your finger to make it move, the boat starts going around in circles, maybe even dancing from one side of the puddle to the other. That's kind of what happens in rivers: meanders are like those wiggly paths the river takes.

When a river flows slowly, it doesn’t just go straight, it starts to twist and turn, creating loops or curves that look like the letter S. These loops are called meanders.

Think of the river as a lazy kid who doesn't want to go straight home from school, instead, they take a long, winding path through the park.

Over time, these bends can get bigger and bigger, just like how your toy boat might drift farther away each time you flick it.