The general consensus of children is that they be kids. However, on more than a few occasions they exhibit intellect out of the norm. This very index lists tropes that subvert the idea that all children are naïve and innocent, rather being intelligent and mature before their time and knowing more than adults let on, for better or worse.
Contrast Immaturity Tropes, which is the opposite thing. Someone who is Really Seven Hundred Years Old may appear this way but doesn't technically count.
- Acting Your Intellectual Age
- Adopt-a-Prodigy: Adopting a child because of their intelligence or special skills.
- Adorably Precocious Child: A child who is seen as cute for behaving like an adult.
- The Artful Dodger
- Brainy Baby: A baby or toddler who is very smart in spite of their very young age.
- Child Mage: A child with magic powers.
- Child Prodigy: A child with advanced intelligence.
- Creepy Child: The precociousness of the child makes them come off as unnerving and strange.
- A Child Shall Lead Them
- Dirty Kid: A child who's more interested in seeing people naked and other sexual topics than someone their age normally is.
- Enfant Terrible: A child who is evil and frequently does malevolent things.
- Fille Fatale: An underage girl who is willing to have sex with older men or at least arouse them in order to manipulate them.
- From the Mouths of Babes: Children say things of a vulgar or mature nature to the surprise of the other characters.
- Goo-Goo-Godlike: A baby with incredible power.
- Grade-School C.E.O.
- Innocent Prodigy: A child genius who still has a lot to learn, as maturity and intelligence are not the same thing.
- Kid-anova
- Kid Detective: A child who investigates mysteries.
- Kid Hero: A child who fights crime.
- Kids Driving Cars
- Kids Raiding the Wine Cabinet: Children get into their parents' alcohol due to wanting to know what it's like to drink it.
- The Kid with the Remote Control
- Little Miss Almighty
- Little Miss Badass: A young girl capable of impressive feats.
- Little Miss Con Artist
- Little Miss Snarker
- Little Professor Dialog
- Mature Work, Child Protagonists: A work intended for adults has children as the main characters.
- Precocious Crush: A child has a crush on someone much older than them.
- Psychic Children
- Puppy Love
- Teen Genius
- Troubled Child
- Troubled Teen
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: A child demonstrates behavior that borders on being inappropriate due to being more mature or unsavory than someone their age should act.
- Wise Beyond Their Years
- Young Conqueror
- Young Entrepreneur
- Young Gun
