Abstract Over the past 40 years, there has been a long term trend of early pubertal onset in children in China. Early pubertal timing is closely associated with mental health and behavioral problems in children, and can even lead to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancers of the endocrine system and abnormalities of the bone and joint system in adulthood. Prompt detection of early pubertal timing in children is important. There are many methods for evaluating pubertal timing, the appropriateness of which is worth exploring. This paper reviews previous literature publications, examines current research progress in evaluation methods of pubertal timing, evaluates their applicability in the study of children and adolescents, and provides a reference for the selection of an evaluation method to assess pubertal timing in children in China.