Growing and Changing

You started life as a single cell too small to see without a microscope. Over nine months inside your mother's womb, you grew from that tiny cell into a complete baby with trillions of cells — all ready to breathe, feed, and learn. Growing is one of the most amazing things a body can do.

Growing means your body makes lots of new cells. Cells do this by splitting in two: one cell becomes two, two become four, and so on. This is how a graze heals, how your hair gets longer, and how you slowly get taller year after year.

Growth happens fastest in the first two years and then continues steadily through childhood. Your bones get longer at special soft areas near their ends called growth plates, where new bone is added. This is why you slowly need bigger shoes and longer trousers!