Puberty is the time when boys and girls start to notice changes in their bodies

Start yarning with kids about puberty. This table shows the changes that kids can expect.

Changes at puberty	Boys	Girls
Grow taller and gain weight	X	X
Hair grows in armpits and around genitals	X	X
Hair grows on upper lip and chin	X	Some
Sweat more	X	X
Get spots and acne on face, neck, chest and back	X	X
Feel emotional or moody or very 'giggly' and excited	X	X
Voice deepens	X
Testicles start to make sperm	X
Experience erections and 'wet dreams'	X
Ovaries start to release eggs (ova)		X
Breasts grow	Some	X
Hips widen		X
Menstruation (period) begins		X
Have feelings of attraction towards others	X	X

Maybe tell your kids when you started seeing changes in your own body.
Girls usually start puberty before boys.
Make sure kids know that changes can come fast for some people and slow for other people. Both ways are normal and OK.
Talk to kids about how you felt when your body started changing and share any funny stories you remember.

Accordion Group