The season when children grow faster and may surprise you

CHILDREN grow faster as the school year progresses, experts have found.

They shoot up an average of half a millimeter more per month between September and April while classes are still in full swing, researchers say.

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One theory is that during school hours they eat better and help increase height.

Previous research has shown that children in the UK gain weight during the summer holidays, when the percentage of overweight children rises from 20 per cent to 24 per cent.

Experts fear it’s due to spending too much time in front of screens and eating more junk food during the six-week break – with children staring at TVs, tablets and computers for almost twice as long as normal.

Now, a US study has found that height gain slowed during the summer break, with plump children being hit the hardest.

Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, found that overweight or obese teens grew one millimeter less than usual each month during the summer than they did during the school year.

The study, published in Frontiers in Physiology, followed more than 3,500 adolescents for five years.

The researcher dr. Jennette Moreno said, “This study indicates a seasonality in children’s height gain, gaining height faster during a school year than during the summer.”

Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum warned the UK’s six-week summer holiday was too long.

He said: “The current situation is far from the best for our children’s health with many gaining weight in the summer.

“The real problem is that children get six weeks off but parents don’t, which means they often struggle to provide them with a balanced, healthy diet, which has repercussions.”