BoneScience Research Notes · Last reviewed: 2026-10 · General information, not medical advice
- Doctors look at how tall a child is, and also at how fast the child grows each year.
- From age 5 until puberty, most kids grow about 2 to 2.4 inches (5 to 6 cm) a year. Then they speed up.
- Judge growth over a full year. One short stretch can fool you.
Height tells you where. Speed tells you how fast.
A height percentile is a snapshot. It shows where your child stands next to 100 kids of the same age and sex. (We explain it in Your Child Is in the 30th Percentile. Should You Worry?)
Growth velocity is a different number. It means how many inches a child grows in one year. Think of it as speed.
A child can be short but grow at a normal speed. That is usually a good sign. A child can also be of average height but grow slowly. That is worth a closer look.
A 2015 review for family doctors in American Family Physician makes this point. It says growth that is slower than normal for a child's age should be checked.
A drawing, not real data. Child B is the pattern doctors look at more closely.
Picture it: Height is where the car is parked. Speed is the number on the dashboard. Doctors want to see both.
What's typical, by age
These are typical growth rates from that 2015 review:
| Age | Typical growth each year |
|---|---|
| 5 years to puberty | 5 to 6 cm (about 2 to 2.4 in) |
| Puberty, girls | 8 to 12 cm (about 3 to 4.7 in) |
| Puberty, boys | 10 to 14 cm (about 4 to 5.5 in) |
Based on 2015 AAFP guidance. A 2025 update of this review exists; ask your pediatrician which numbers they use.
The growth spurt is a fast-growing stretch during puberty. It does not come at the same age for everyone.
A classic study followed 228 boys in Britain. Boys hit their fastest growth at about 14, on average. That was nearly two years later than girls. Yet boys' first signs of puberty came only about six months after girls'.
So in a class of 12-year-olds, many girls are in their spurt. Many boys have not started yet.
Why one reading can fool you
In 2014, a US team built new growth-speed charts. They used 4,305 yearly measurements from 1,541 kids aged 5 to 19.
At ages 6 to 11, average growth was about 5.5 to 6.7 cm (2.2 to 2.6 in) a year. Healthy kids were spread out around that average.
The team also found that a child's speed is not steady. Before puberty, a slow year did not predict another slow year.
They added that growth speed is "noisier" than one height reading. Measuring over less than a year makes the error bigger.
What this research says / doesn't say
Says: Most kids grow about 5 to 6 cm (2 to 2.4 in) a year from age 5 to puberty, then faster in the spurt. Growth speed should be judged over a full year. It should be compared with age, sex and puberty timing.
Doesn't say: That one slow reading means something is wrong. A number on a chart is not a diagnosis. Only a doctor can check your child.
How to track it at home
- Measure the same way each time. No shoes. Heels against the same wall. A flat book on the head. Write down the date.
- Compare 12 months apart. Subtract last year's height from this year's. A few months is too short to judge.
- Keep checkup numbers. Your doctor's measurements are your best record.
Where parents' heights fit in
Doctors also compare a child with the parents' heights. A UK study looked at 419 kids aged 8 to 9. Most of them (90%) were within about two percentile lines of what their parents' heights suggested.
But kids of very tall or very short parents were closer to average than their parents. So a parents'-height guess is a wide range. It is not an exact adult height.
When to ask your pediatrician
The 2015 review lists growth under 5 cm (2 inches) a year as one reason doctors may refer a child to a specialist. But many healthy kids grow close to that rate in the year or two before their spurt. That is why the full picture matters.
Bring it up with your doctor if:
- your child grew clearly less than 2 inches in a full year before puberty,
- your child's height has dropped across percentile lines on the chart, or
- something else about growth worries you.
Your doctor can put the numbers in context. That talk is worth more than any chart.
Sources
- Barstow C, Rerucha C. Evaluation of short and tall stature in children. Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(1):43-50. AAFP · PubMed 26132126
- Kelly A, et al. Age-based reference ranges for annual height velocity in US children. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014;99(6):2104-2112. doi:10.1210/jc.2013-4455
- Marshall WA, Tanner JM. Variations in the pattern of pubertal changes in boys. Arch Dis Child. 1970;45(239):13-23. doi:10.1136/adc.45.239.13
- Wright CM, Cheetham TD. The strengths and limitations of parental heights as a predictor of attained height. Arch Dis Child. 1999;81(3):257-260. doi:10.1136/adc.81.3.257
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have concerns about your child's growth, talk with your pediatrician.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
BoneScience makes Dr's Grow UP, an AM/PM daily nutrition system for ages 10+, NSF Certified for Sport®.
The studies above were not conducted on BoneScience products.
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