Children

Children is the plural version for child, which according to Dictionary.com is a human between the ages of birth to adulthood.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/children However, exactly when a child reaches adult hood differs depending on race, and religion. According to the "UN - Convention on the Rights of the Child" a child is every human below the age of eighteen, unless stated otherwise within the laws of the child’s country.http://www.hakani.org/en/convention/Convention_Rights_Child.pdf

There are three stages of childhood – Early Childhood this is from birth to eight years of age, Middle Childhood from the ages of eight to twelve and Adolescence which covers the ages from twelve to eighteen.http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1826/Child-Development-Stages-Growth.html

For children in this age bracket skill development is the primary task. Reasons being is that the newborn will grow into a person that can take care of themselves and interact with others.

The growth patterns during these years vary, for instance from birth to the age of three they will on average double in height and quadruple in weight. Along with these changes proportions of the body change, giving them more balance as they move into being a toddler. As the child moves through the toddler stage their motor skills become more advanced and typically will have control while using pencils, crayons or scissors. While motor skills continue to grow and improve through life by the age of eight they have a good handle on them.http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1826/Child-Development-Stages-Growth.html

This age group is working on developing personality, motivation, cognitive skills and inter-personal relationships. This could also be referred to as integration.

Growth patterns for a child during this time are usually slow and steady until puberty is reached. At which time the child will grow and develop at a faster rate. The age at which a child will hit puberty varies, however it does begin earlier in females.http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1826/Child-Development-Stages-Growth.html

The developmental task for adolescence is identity formation. This stage starts as the child reaches sexual maturity and stops when he/she can be identified as an adult.

Growth during this time is once again fast with the child growing up to four inches and gaining up to ten pounds in a year. The speed and amount of growth depends on whether the child is male or female and the child’s own chemistry.http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1826/Child-Development-Stages-Growth.html