Growing With Age: The Teenage Years

Class 7 Science · Chapter 6: Adolescence: A Stage of Growth and Change · NCERT Curiosity section 6.1

Learn

A mango seed becomes a sapling, then a tree, and only after many years does it give fruit and seeds of its own. People also grow through stages: infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Each person moves through them at their own pace.

After the summer holidays, Ishaan comes back to class and everyone notices. "You're so tall now!" says Meher. "And your voice sounds different!" adds Zoya. Ishaan laughs, a little shy. Their teacher explains: from about 10 to 19 years we pass through adolescence, a time of fast growth between childhood and adulthood.

Common changes include a growth spurt in height, gaining weight and strength, broader shoulders in boys and breast development in girls. The voice box grows, more in boys, so their voice may crack or turn deeper; the bump it makes in the throat is the Adam's apple. Hair grows in the armpits and pubic region in both, and boys begin to grow facial hair.

Oil glands in the skin become more active, which can block pores and cause acne (pimples). Wash the face gently and avoid squeezing pimples. Most importantly: the timing and extent of these changes vary from person to person, and every pace is normal. Changes like voice, facial hair and breasts are secondary sexual characteristics: they mark the start of puberty, when the body prepares to become able to reproduce.

Explore: who goes through which change?

1. Sort each change.

Remember

• Adolescence (about 10–19 years) brings fast growth and changes in voice, hair, skin and body shape.
• Secondary sexual characteristics mark puberty; their timing differs and that is normal.

Quick check

Kabir is 13 and has no moustache yet, while his friend does. This is …

1. completely normal: changes come at different times
2. a sign of illness
3. because he eats too little
4. impossible

Think about it

Why might two friends of the same age look very different in height?

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.