Look for signs of growth. Short pant legs are an easy way to tell that you must be growing. If the jeans you used to have to roll up now make you look like you're ready for a flood, it may be time to take a height measurement (as well as buy some new jeans). Foot growth is another likely sign of height growth.
The short answer is that, on average, people keep getting taller until puberty stops, around 15 or 16 years old. By the time someone has reached their adult height, the rest of their body will be done maturing too. By age 16, the body will usually have reached its full adult form — height included.
Although male children get a later start compared to their female peers, they eventually catch up, and then some. Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. In contrast, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18.
A major growth spurt happens at the time of puberty, usually between 8 to 13 years of age in girls and 10 to 15 years in boys. Puberty lasts about 2 to 5 years.
The term “late bloomer” refers to a child who goes through puberty later than their peers. Constitutional growth delay, the medical term for this condition, runs in families. Late bloomers will catch up on their growth and have standard adult height, although it may take a little extra time and patience.
A growth spurt is a period when a child's height rapidly increases. Growth spurts are most obvious when a child is an infant (in the first year of life) and during the teen years (starting at about age 11 for girls and at about age 13 for boys). The signs of a growth spurt include: Increased appetite.
What can I do to become taller? Taking good care of yourself — eating well, exercising regularly, and getting plenty of rest — is the best way to stay healthy and help your body reach its natural potential. There's no magic pill for increasing height. In fact, your genes are the major determinant of how tall you'll be.
Changes in Boys
They tend to grow most quickly between ages 12 and 15. The growth spurt of boys is, on average, about 2 years later than that of girls. By age 16, most boys have stopped growing, but their muscles will continue to develop.
An adolescent may expect to grow several inches in several months followed by a period of very slow growth, then will typically have another growth spurt.
Most boys with constitutional delayed puberty are short compared with their peers, but because they have a delayed growth spurt, they usually catch up to other boys by the time they are 18 and have heights in the normal range as adults.
On an x-ray, growth plates look like dark lines at the ends of the bones. At the end of growth, when the cartilage completely hardens into bone, the dark line will no longer be visible on an x-ray. At that point growth plates are considered closed.
Most cases of delayed puberty are not an actual health problem. Some kids just develop later than others - what we call a “late bloomer.” This has a medical name: “Constitutional Delay of Growth and Puberty.” In many of these cases, late puberty runs in the family.
Peak height velocity — your child's biggest, fastest growth spurt — typically lasts 24 to 36 months. And while it's difficult to say just how much your child will grow during this time, you can count on most of it happening, for girls, between 10 and 14 years, and, for boys, between 12 and 16 years.
Thus, the average peak increase in shoe size generally occurred 1.3 years and 2.5 years before the average peak growth of sitting height, in girls and boys respectively.
Growth Spurts in Boys
It follows the beginning of puberty, typically starting around age 14 or 15 and ends around age 17 or 18. It's an intensive three years! Of course, every boy is different. Some boys begin the growth spurt earlier and others later.
Once we are at the end of our puberty period, our hormonal changes prompt the growth plate to close off. Once that's closed off or sealed, no amount of sleeping will help us get taller any more. According to Healthline.com, the growth plates close at around 16 for women and somewhere between 14 and 19 for men.
Alas, puberty seldom goes as planned and some children wait for a growth spurt that never seems to come. In extreme cases, this could be due to pituitary disease, ovarian disease, testicular disease, or a long history of taking medications like prednisone for severe asthma.
Regular exercise, especially weight-bearing and high-intensity activities like running, jumping, and strength training, can stimulate bone remodeling and increase bone density, which can help people grow taller.