Human life cycle

Human Life Cycle



Human Life Cycle mainly consists of 6 stages. They are simply; foetus, baby, child, adolescent, adult and old person. Let’s talk about each of these stages in detail.



Human Life Cycle





Stages of Human Life Cycle



 



Stage 1



 



Foetus in the womb



 



An egg from the mother is fertilised by a sperm from the father and goes into an embryo inside the mother’s womb. At first this creation looks like a bundle of cells. By about eight weeks this bundle of cells gradually turns into the shape of the human body. This is called the foetus. The foetus totally depends on its mother as it cannot breathe, drink or eat by itself.



 



Example of a foetus in the womb



 



Stage 2



 



Baby



 



After nine months in the mother’s womb, the baby is born. Babies from birth to 1 yearare also known as infants. Newborn babies can breathe, suck, swallow and cry when they feel hungry, cold and hot temperatures or any uncomfortable situation. This is how they communicate as they still cannot talk. Babies are usually fed on mother’s milk.



 



A baby

birth – 1 year



 



Stage 3



 



Childhood



 



The baby grows into a child. It slowly learns to crawl and then walk, talk, run, jump, eat by itself, identify things in its surroundings, communicate properly, read and write, make friends and do many more childhood activities. In the stage childhood, children can be divided into; toddlers (1-3 years), preschoolers (3-5 years) and primary school children (5-12 years).



 



A Toddler

1 – 3 years



 



A Preschooler

3 – 5 years



 



A Primary School Boy

5 – 12 years



 



Stage 4



 



Adolescence



 



At the stage, adolescence, the child grows into an adolescent through a period called Puberty. Puberty usually takes place in the child’s teenage years, starting from 13 years up to 19 years of age. Therefore, adolescents are also called teenagers. During the puberty a rapid growth and changes of the body take place. These include changes of the body shape, growing hair on some parts of the body, for example, boys grow hair on their faces, and also, boys’ voice becomes deepen and rough. Similarly, at this stage the behaviour patterns and attitudes of the teenagers will change as they are independent in doing their day-to-day activities.



 



A Teenage Boy

13 – 19 years



 



Stage 5



 



Adulthood



 



People who are from age 20 years to 65 years old are called adults. Adults can reproduce, make their own families and so continue the life cycle. Adults can be divided into; young adults (20 – 36 years), middle-aged adults (36 – 55 years) and older adults (55 – 65 years).



 



A Middle-aged Adult

36 – 55 years



 



Stage 6



 



Old Person



 



When a person reaches 65 years of age, he is known as an old or elderly person. The average life expectancy of a person can vary from 70 to 85 years. But it totally depends on the health of each person, as some die before 70 years, whereas some die after 85 years. However, the human life cycle ends at this stage.



 



An Old Person

65+ years.