Question: what makes a child different from an adult

Simone Bijvoet answered on 14 Jun 2011:

Hi benandizaak,
That’s a really good question. A child is different from adults in many ways. One thing is that children are still growing, not just in size but also from the inside. I am looking at the growing of how we think.

From when a child gets born till around 4 many many changes happen in a child. A really important thing that I look at is when a child starts understanding that other people can have other thoughts than them. This explains why children when they’re young can be so selfish, for example when someone wants to play with their toy. They just don’t understand that other kids can want different things than them. 🙂

When children get older their minds grow in way of thinking as well. Around 6 years children start to understand that letters and digits can stand for sounds and count and the schools adjust to that by teaching kids how to read and write around that time. When kids are about 12 they are able to understand more abstract thinking like algebra. This is all because things change in your body. Normally when you are around 18 years, the most important changes have been made. This is why then we call people adult. But do keep in mind this doesn’t mean that you cannot change or learn new things after that age. 🙂

Hope this answers you’re question a bit. Do ask me more if you want to!
Simone