Growth

Growth

Human growth is far from being a simple and uniform process of becoming taller or larger. As a child gets bigger, there are changes in shape and in tissue composition and distribution. In the newborn infant the head represents about a quarter of the total length; in the adult it represents about one-seventh. In the newborn infant the muscles constitute a much smaller percentage of the total body mass than in the young adult. In most tissues, growth consists both of the formation of new cells and the packing in of more protein or other material into cells already present; early in development cell division predominates and later cell filling.

Childhood

Infants and children grow and develop at a rapid pace during the first few years of life. The development of both gross and fine motor skills helps a child go from a completely dependent newborn to an independently functioning toddler in about a 3-year span.

Characteristics	Implications
Physical growth is lower than during Infancy and early childhood.	Plan activities using large motor skills and introduce fine motor skills, one at a time
Muscular coordination and control are uneven and incomplete. Large muscles are easier to control than small muscles	Plan lots of physical activity with each meeting.
Able to handle tools and materials more skillfully than during preschool years.	Introduce new physical activities that require coordination such as roller skating, bike riding, rope jumping and simple outdoor games.
Can throw different-sized balls better than they can catch them. Most cannot bat well.	Provide projects that don’t require perfection and that can be successfully completed by beginners
Most can learn to snap fingers, whistle and wink.	Provide patient guidance and encouragement for fine motor activities.
May repeat an activity over and over to master it.

Adolescence

The period between childhood and young adulthood is a period of rapid change – physical, emotional, cognitive and social. During this time, children’s bodies change in different ways at different times. No two teenage bodies are the same.

Physical changes during adolescence

For girls, you might start to see early physical changes from about 10 or 11 years, but they might start as young as 8 years or as old as 13 years. Physical changes around puberty include:

·         breast development

·         changes in body shape and height

·         growth of pubic and body hair

·         the start of periods (menstruation).

For boys, physical changes usually start around 11 or 12 years, but they might start as young as 9 years or as old as 14 years. Physical changes include:

·         growth of the penis and testes (testicles)

·         changes in body shape and height

·         erections with ejaculation

·         growth of body and facial hair

·         changes to voice.

Maturity

As we age, our bodies change in physical ways. One can expect a variety of changes to take place through the early- and middle-adult years. Each person experiences age-related changes based on many factors: biological factors such as molecular and cellular changes are called primary aging while aging that occurs due to controllable factors, such as lack of physical exercise and poor diet, is called secondary aging.