Puberty facts for kids
Puberty is a special time when your body changes from being a child's body to an adult's body. These changes mean you will eventually be able to have children of your own. Puberty starts because of tiny messengers in your body called hormones. These chemicals tell different parts of your body what to do. Girls usually start puberty around age 10 or 11, and boys around 11 or 12. But remember, everyone is different, and people start puberty at different ages all over the world!
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How Your Body Starts Puberty
Puberty begins and continues because of different hormones. Hormones are chemicals that tell parts of your body what to do. They are made by special parts of your body called glands. Glands are organs that create these important hormones.
Body Changes in Boys
For most boys, puberty lasts about six years. It usually finishes when they are around 17 or 18 years old. By the end of puberty, a teenage boy is often 10 to 30 centimetres (4 to 12 inches) taller. He is also usually 7 to 29 kilograms (15 to 65 pounds) heavier and stronger. After puberty, he will be able to help a woman become pregnant and have a baby.
Hair and Skin Changes for Boys
Hair starts to grow in new places like the armpits and around the private parts. The hair on the arms, legs, chest, stomach, and back also becomes thicker. How much body hair a man has can be very different from person to person. Many boys start shaving their faces when hair begins to grow there.
More male hormones in the body cause sweat to change. This gives it a more "adult" body odor or smell. These hormones also make sebaceous glands in the skin produce more sebum. Sebum is a type of oil that helps keep skin from getting too dry.
Sometimes, sebum and dead skin cells can mix with tiny germs called bacteria. This can block pores (tiny openings) in the skin. When this happens, it causes a skin problem called acne. Most people get acne during puberty. Acne can cause bumps like blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples. Blackheads and whiteheads usually don't hurt. But pimples can be red and painful. They often appear on the face, but can also be on the neck, shoulders, upper back, and chest. Oil glands on the scalp (where hair grows) also make a lot of sebum. This can lead to dandruff, which is when small white flakes of skin fall from the scalp.
Voice Changes for Boys
During puberty, a boy's larynx, also known as the voice box, grows larger. This makes the lump at the front of his neck, called the Adam's apple, bigger too. As the larynx grows, the vocal folds inside become longer and thicker. This makes them vibrate (move back and forth) more slowly. Because of this, the voice lowers in pitch or tone and becomes deeper.
When this happens, people sometimes say a boy's voice has "broken." But it doesn't happen all at once; it changes over time. During this period, the voice might sound a bit scratchy. On average, a boy's voice usually reaches its adult sound when he is around 15 years old.
How Boys Grow Taller
Towards the end of puberty, boys have a "growth spurt." This is a time when their body grows taller very quickly for about two to three years. When the growth spurt is at its fastest, some boys grow 10 centimetres (4 inches) or more in a year! This usually happens about two years after puberty starts, often between the ages of 13 and 15.
When a boy finishes his growth spurt, usually around 18 years old, he will be at his adult height. His body won't grow much taller after that. Sometimes, boys' muscles can feel sore during their growth spurt. These "growing pains" can feel worse if they are very active. They usually go away after a while.
Boys grow more slowly than girls, but they grow for a longer time. This is why most men are taller than women. By the end of puberty, adult males have heavier bones and more muscle than females. In an average adult man, muscle makes up about 50% of his weight, while fat makes up about 15%. In contrast, an average adult woman's weight is about 40% muscle and 27% fat. Because men have less body fat than women, their hips do not grow bigger. Some bones, like those in the jaw and shoulders, grow more in males than in females. This is why males often have wider faces and shoulders but narrower hips.
Body Changes in Girls
The changes in a girl's body during puberty usually happen between the ages of eight and 18 years. Most girls will have finished puberty around the age of 15. By then, they will have menstruated (had a period) every month. They will also be able to get pregnant and will usually have reached their full adult height.
Hair and Skin Changes for Girls
Between the ages of about eight and 14 (often around 11 or 12 years), hair starts to grow in the armpits and around the private parts. The hair on the arms and legs also gets thicker. Some girls might even notice hair appearing on their upper lip or in front of their ears.
Just like boys, higher amounts of hormones in a girl's body cause her sweat to change. This gives her a more adult body odor or smell. These hormones also make the skin produce more sebum (oil), which often leads to acne.
Menstruation and Body Development
When girls are between eight and 11 years old, the two ovaries in their body start to grow bigger. Each ovary is shaped like an egg and is connected to the side wall of the pelvis. The pelvis is a large group of bones in the hips. The ovaries are organs that make female hormones. These hormones help a girl grow into a woman and make her feel like a woman. The hormones also make it possible for females to become pregnant and have babies.
Because of more hormones in the body, girls start to have more fat in their breasts, stomach, hips, and thighs. At age ten, the average girl has 6% more body fat than the average boy. By the end of puberty, this difference is almost 50%. This extra fat helps make sure that a baby growing inside a pregnant woman will have enough nutrients. Also, the bones in the pelvis move further apart. This makes room for a larger uterus and ovaries. It also creates space for a baby to grow in the uterus and to pass out of the body when it is born. The extra fat and wider hip bones give girls a curvier shape.
How Girls Grow Taller
Girls also have a growth spurt during puberty. In the first year after puberty begins, they grow about 8 centimetres (3 inches). They grow even faster the next year or so. Then, their growth slows down and almost stops when they start menstruating (having their periods). After a girl's periods begin, she usually does not grow more than 5 centimetres (2 inches) taller.
Emotional Changes During Puberty
The large amounts of hormones in the bodies of boys and girls during puberty can also affect their emotions. Teenagers often worry about what other people think about them. They might also feel a strong urge to do things that are risky. Sometimes, they want more independence – more power to decide things for themselves. They can get angry when their parents don't allow them to do certain things.
The brains of teenagers are still growing. It can take a while before they are mature enough to make good choices about their lives. Because of this, it can be helpful for them to listen to the advice of adults they trust. Even if it doesn't make much sense to them at the time, it's often good advice.
Culture and Puberty
Puberty is a very important time in a child's life because it's when they become able to have children. Because of this, people in many countries around the world have special Rites of passage to mark this big change.
Images for kids
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Facial hair of a male
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An Australian aboriginal photographed before 1911
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A young Navajo girl photographed around 1904
See also
In Spanish: Pubertad para niños
