A child (pl. children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. It may also refer to an unborn human being. The legal definition of child generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority. Children generally have fewer rights and responsibilities than adults. They are generally classed as unable to make serious decisions.
International children in traditional clothing at Liberty Weekend
Children playing ball games, Roman artwork, 2nd century AD
Children playing the violin in a group recital, Ithaca, New York, 2011
Children in Madagascar, 2011
Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a female, the testicles in a male. In response to the signals, the gonads produce hormones that stimulate libido and the growth, function, and transformation of the brain, bones, muscle, blood, skin, hair, breasts, and sex organs. Physical growth—height and weight—accelerates in the first half of puberty and is completed when an adult body has been developed. Before puberty, the external sex organs, known as primary sexual characteristics, are sex characteristics that distinguish males and females. Puberty leads to sexual dimorphism through the development of the secondary sex characteristics, which further distinguish the sexes.
Development of a male from childhood to the end of puberty
Male at 11.3 yo (prepubertal), 12.5 yo, 14.9 yo and 16.3 yo (post pubertal)
Facial hair of a male
Development of a female from childhood to the end of puberty