Explanation:

Bones increase in length because of growth plates in the bones called epiphyses. As puberty progresses, the growth plates mature, and at the end of puberty they fuse and stop growing. The whole of the skeleton does not stop growing at the same time; hands and feet stop first, then arms and legs, with the last area of growth being the spine. Growth slows down and stops when a child has gone all the way through puberty and has reached an adult stage of development. This means that growth does not stop at a particular age, but children who are ‘early developers’ will stop growing before late developers. After the growth plates fuse, there is no more increase in height, and we all then shrink gradually as we get older.