Changes during Puberty in Boys and Girls.

Puberty — or sexual development — is a time of dramatic change for both boys and girls.

Hormone-driven changes are accompanied by growth spurts that transform kids into physically mature teens as their bodies develop.

It's important for them to have healthy eating habits, a well-balanced diet, and some physical activity each day to ensure continued growth and proper development during these years.

Changes in Girls

These characteristics describe the sequence of events in girls as they go through puberty:

- Breasts begin to develop and hips become rounded.

- An increased rate of growth in height begins.

- Pubic hair begins to appear, usually within 6 to 12 months after the start of breast development.

- The uterus and vagina, as well as labia and clitoris, increase in size.

- Pubic hair is well established and breasts grow further.

- The rate of growth in height reaches its peak about 2 years after the start of puberty.

- Menstruation begins, almost always after the peak growth rate in height (average age is 12.5 years).

- Once girls start to menstruate, they usually grow about 1 or 2 more inches, reaching their final adult height by about age 14 or 15 years (younger or older depending on when puberty began).

Changes in Boys

Boys tend to show the first physical changes of puberty between the ages of 10 and 16.

- They tend to grow most quickly between ages 12 and 15. The growth spurt of boys is, on average, about 2 years later than that of girls.

- By age 16, most boys have probably stopped growing, but their muscles will continue to develop.

Other features of puberty in boys include:

- The penis and testicles increase in size.

- Pubic hair appears, followed by underarm and facial hair.

- The voice deepens and may sometimes crack or break.

- The Adam's apple, or larynx cartilage, gets bigger.

- Testicles begin to produce sperm.

Source: Kidshealth