Child

A child by her mother's side

A child and his mother in art

Pictures of a child from the late 19th century

A child (the plural is children) is a person below the age of puberty (biologically) or, at least in English-speaking countries, below the age of majority or in other contexts below the age of consent. A person can be called his or her parent's child, regardless of the person's age. Another word for "child" is "kid".

In almost all countries, it is legally required that children be educated either at school or by homeschooling. Small children may go to nursery school, preschool or kindergarten. Playing and using imagination is a beneficial part of child development. But in poor areas, especially in third world countries, children may be forced to work long and hard and be used for child labor, such as in the poorest areas of India, South America, or Africa.

When people marry and one (or both) of them have children with someone else before this marriage, that child is known as a stepchild by the child's stepparent. If both people had children, the children of the other parent are stepbrothers or stepsisters of each other. Children with no parents are referred to as orphans. Children who are adopted and live with non-biological parents are referred to as adoptive (or foster) children.

Related pages

• Adolescent
• Parent
• Sibling (a brother or sister)