New
New
Year 5

Changes in adulthood

I can describe changes in humans as they develop through adulthood.

New
New
Year 5

Changes in adulthood

I can describe changes in humans as they develop through adulthood.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Adulthood, the period in a human’s life whereby full physical and intellectual maturity have been attained
  2. Adulthood is commonly thought of as beginning at around 20 years
  3. Physical changes in early adulthood include reaching full height and gaining muscle
  4. Middle age, a stage of adulthood, begins at around 40 years of age
  5. The stages of human development in adulthood can be recorded in a variety of ways

Keywords

  • Human - People are a type of animal called humans.

  • Develop - To develop is to grow or change gradually.

  • Adult - An adult is a mature form of a plant or animal.

  • Adulthood - Adulthood is the time that a human spends as an adult.

  • Chronological order - Chronological order is the order that things happen.

Common misconception

Pupils may think that height is dependent on age, so taller adults must be older than shorter ones.

Explain that by the time humans reach adulthood they have stopped growing. At this point, their height is not related to their age. Use examples of familiar adults such as staff members to make this clear.

There are lots of apps available that can artificially age a photo to give an idea how a person may look as they get older. If possible, allow children to explore these apps so they can see how they will look different in the future.
Teacher tip

Equipment

None required

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
What are muscles for?
An image in a quiz
Protection
Correct answer: Moving
Growing
Learning
Q2.
When we talk about our intellectual development we mean the way our ____________ develops.
bones
muscles
Correct answer: brain
Q3.
When we talk about our physical development we mean the way our develops.
Correct Answer: body, bodies
Q4.
Match the stage of human development to the correct explanation.
Correct Answer:Baby,The youngest humans

The youngest humans

Correct Answer:Toddler,A human that has just learned to walk

A human that has just learned to walk

Correct Answer:Child,A young human growing taller and learning new skills

A young human growing taller and learning new skills

Correct Answer:Adolescent,A human who is developing from a child into an adult

A human who is developing from a child into an adult

Q5.
Which of these changes usually happen during puberty?
Baby teeth fall out
Correct answer: Body hair grows in new places
Hair turns grey
Correct answer: Periods start
Q6.
What is the name for the human development stage between childhood and adulthood?
Correct Answer: adolescence, adolescent

6 Questions

Q1.
Starting with the earliest, order the stages of human development.
1 - Baby
2 - Toddler
3 - Child
4 - Adolescent
5 - Adult
Q2.
Around what age does the middle age stage of adulthood begin?
An image in a quiz
30 years old
Correct answer: 40 years old
50 years old
60 years old
Q3.
By which stage have humans fully developed physically and intellectually?
Baby
Child
Adolescent
Correct answer: Adult
Q4.
Adulthood is generally thought of as beginning at around years.
Correct Answer: 20, twenty
Q5.
Which of these body changes happens during middle age?
Correct answer: Hair begins turning grey
Adult teeth start coming in
More body hair grows
Voice gets deeper
Q6.
Which of these would not be a good way to record the changes that happen during adulthood?
A diary explaining changes over time
A timeline
Correct answer: A photograph of an adult
A sequencing diagram