Summer is starting to wind down for many of us moms and with back-to-school time, you may be noticing that your children need some bigger shoes and larger clothes. This does happen a few times a year with kids of all ages since they grow so quickly but we as moms tend to notice it a lot more after a long summer vacation. For many, summer is for wearing sandals and summer clothes so when fall and school rolls back around in the early fall, shoes, and jackets seem to have shrunk.
You're not imagining it. Your kids probably did grow a bit over the summer. Climate doesn't necessarily have an effect on kids' growth, but warmer weather has a combination of elements that are conducive to growing. We grow gardens in the summer for a reason and our kids sprout up themselves.
Summer Is A Time To Grow
When American kids are sent home from school on summer vacation, they're excited for a hot season of outdoor play, swimming, and staying up later just as the sun does. Historically, the US did their school break in the summer so the many kids that had to help on their family's farm or property could do so. Even though most of us don't have to care for our own land anymore and grow our own food, the tradition of summer vacation has stayed.
Not to mention, summer is the hot season in this region, so it also makes perfect sense to not have kids coming and going to school. When kids return in the fall, they'll all look a little different after a few months off. A 2013 study published in the International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology that school-age kids grow more in the warmer months of spring and summer.
Here are some quick facts and reasons why summer is the season for kids to grow.
- Vitamin D: Vitamin D is a growth hormone that is absorbed into the skin by the sun. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia explains that vitamin D is "essential" to the development of strong bones in kids. In the summer, kids usually get outside more and soak up more sun. With proper skin protection, getting more vitamin D in the summer can surely help kids grow.
- More Sleep: In the summer, most kids are able to get more sleep. They don't have to get up super early for school, and they may also have more time to rest in the evenings without extracurriculars and sports. Children experience a rush of growth hormones when they fall asleep and when they wake up. Longer sleep times allow for those growth hormones to produce more.
- More Food: While home from school, children have the opportunity to snack and eat more. When kids consume more food, they're getting bigger.
- Less Stress: Stress can wreak havoc on a body and even young kids experience small amounts of stress. Without school, kids and teens are more relaxed giving their body more time to do what it needs to do.
Growth Spurts Are Common
Every parent knows that kids grow fast, and growth spurts are quite common. The whole first year of a baby's life is one big growth spurt and it kind of seems that way until kids get about kindergarten age and start to slow down on their growth. And by slow down, we mean, need new shoes once or twice a year, versus new shoes every season. Elementary-age kids are still growing at a quick rate but have developmental growth spurts that happen at different ages.
Most of these growth spurts are triggered by puberty. So, any preteens who have shot up over this past summer can likely attribute their growth to puberty. Kids tend to grow the most quickly when they're in middle school and early high school, Growth really slows down for girls and girls reach their adult height around the age of 16-year-olds. Boys keep growing and take longer to get there. Boys on average will reach their adult height by 18 years old. As for younger kids, their growth spurts happen in developmental phases.
Summer is a loved season by many, but it does run its course. After a long summer, kids and teens have grown and they're ready to show off their new strength in the classroom. Growth spurts happen at different times for everyone, and we all have different genetics, so remind your kids to be kind. Especially to the kids who seem to be a lot taller than their peers, and a lot shorter.
Source: Cleveland Clinic, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Kid's Health