1. the period between the end of infancy (about 2 years of age) and the onset of puberty, marking the beginning of adolescence (10–12 years of age). This period is sometimes divided into (a) early childhood, from 2 years through the preschool age of 5 or 6 years; (b) middle childhood, from 6 to 8–10 years of age; and (c) late childhood or preadolescence, which is identified as the 2-year period before the onset of puberty.

2. the period between 3 or 4 years of age and about 7 years of age. In this context, childhood represents the period after weaning and before children can fend for themselves. Childhood in this more technical sense is unique to humans; other mammals advance directly from infancy to juvenility. See juvenile period. [defined by U.S. anthropologist Barry Bogin (1950–  )]