Puberty is the time when a child’s body begins changing into an adult’s body. Puberty begins at different ages in different people, and that’s normal. During puberty, the body grows and changes very quickly. This is caused by the release of chemicals (known as ‘hormones’) in the body. They travel around the bloodstream and signal different body parts to switch on, or change what they do. These tiny chemicals are responsible for the changes that happen during puberty.
Body changes
As people go through puberty their bodies begin to look different. Everyone gets a bit taller, heavier and stronger. Some people grow very quickly while other people grow slowly. There are lots of changes to the body during puberty. These include:
- growing taller and stronger
- getting pimples
- sweating more and getting body odour
- growing hair in new places such as underarms and on the private parts
Boys and girls also go through different changes based on their sex. These include:
Changes for BoysChanges for Girls • growing hair on the face• voice changes
• Start having wet dreams• their hips widening
• growing breasts
• getting their period