DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES

INFANT & TODDLER MILESTONES

0-2 months

• Holds head up well off mat when on stomach
• Holds legs up when lying on back
• Becomes active when toy is seen
• Responds to a smile with a smile
• Cries differently for hunger, pain and fatigue
• Makes sounds other than crying
• Looks at your face

3 months

• Grasps a rattle or small toy placed in hand
• Brings hands together and to mouth
• Looks at feet and hands
• Sees objects at a distance of about 12 inches
• Watches your mouth when you talk face to face
• Makes cooing sounds
• Responds to Mother’s voice

4 months

• Brings hands together over chest & touches fingers while on back
• Rolls from stomach to back
• Reaches for a toy when held in a sitting position
• Begins to babble using different sounds such as ‘p’, ‘b’, and ‘m’
• Chuckles (not yet full laugh) when you try to make them laugh
• Pushes up onto elbows/forearms when on tummy

5 months

• Brings feet to mouth when lying on back
• Feels feet with hands
• Holds bottle with both hands (may also pat it)
• Looks for object when it is slowly moved out of sight
• Smiles at self in front of big mirror
• Laughs with pleasure
• Uses mouth to explore environment

6 months

• Rolls from back to tummy
• Sits briefly without help
• Holds a bottle to mouth by self
• Has full color vision
• Turns toward the source of normal sound
• Grabs own foot while lying on back
• Imitates speech sounds
• Responds to soft sounds especially talking
• Anticipates feeding
• Pushes with straight arms when on tummy

7 months

• Crawls forward on stomach
• Gets into sitting position without help
• Uses hand and mouth to explore objects
• Passes a small object from one hand to the other
• Eyes track 180 degrees from side to side while sitting

8 months

• Plays peek-a-boo
• Bangs toys and other things together
• Feeds self finger foods
• Vocalizes for attention

9 months

• Crawls or otherwise gets around well
• Pulls self up to stand (but not to get down) using furniture
• Releases objects intentionally
• After seeing object covered by cloth, picks up cloth
• Pulls on a string to get a toy
• Makes more sounds (‘m’, ‘n’, ‘t’, ‘d’, ‘h’, ‘p’, ‘z’)
• Uses fingers to “rake” food

10 months

• Looks closely at tiny objects
• Looks at familiar objects when named

11 months

• Pokes into holes with index finger
• Pushes or rolls a ball
• Throws things just to see what happens

1 year

• Walks sideways while holding onto furniture
• Grasps thick crayon or pencil in fist as if to mark, but may not mark
• Turns thick pages (such as cardboard)
• Watches own thrown objects
• Puts objects into a container
• Waves “bye-bye”
• Says 1–2 words
• Makes “ma-ma” or “da-da” sounds
• Picks up things between thumb and pointer finger, like small bits of food
• Drinks from a cup without a lid as you hold it

1 yr 1 month

• Walks alone (up to 8 feet)
• Enjoys looking at pictures in books
• Identifies 3 body parts

1 yr 2 months

• Bends or squats to pick up an object and stands up again without falling
• Climbs onto furniture
• Pushes toy while walking
• Hands things to others
• Makes a stack of 2 blocks

1 yr 3 months

• Marks independently on paper with crayon or pencil
• Puts something in and then gets it out of a container
• Claps when excited
• Hugs stuffed doll or other toy

1 yr 4 months

• Seems to recognize self in mirror
• Scribbles spontaneously & freely with crayon, marker, or pencil

1 yr 5 months

• Begins to run
• Drinks from a cup or glass and sets it down without much spilling
• Builds tower of 3 blocks
• Scoops food and brings to mouth with some spillage

1 yr 6 months

• Helps to pull off simple clothing and extends arms & legs to help with dressing
• Gets spoon in mouth right-side up with little spilling
• Throws a small ball (over- or underhand) a few feet while standing
• Likes to push and pull objects
• Says at least 6 words
• Follows simple directions (Bring the Ball)
• Points or makes sounds or tries to use words to ask for things
• Says “no”, shakes their head or pushes away things they don’t want
• Uses words like “more”, “mine” and “no”

1 yr 8 months

• Turns regular book pages by self (may turn more than one at a time)
• Stacks a 4-block tower
• Begins to use 2 words

1 yr 9 months

• Walks both up & down stairs alone at least 2 steps with both feet on each step
• Uses play dough, paint, and paper
• Turns pictures right-side up if given upside down
• Scribbles without going off paper
• Asks “what’s that?”
• Follows a 2 step related command (pick up the ball give it to me)

1 yr 11 months

• Matches pictures to real things
• Completes a 1- to 3-piece puzzle or form board
• Strings 3 one-inch beads with long-tipped lace

2 yrs

• Imitates drawing a vertical line
• Kicks ball forward with either foot without support
• Runs
• Uses 2 to 3 words in a sentence
• Recognizes familiar pictures
• Likes to imitate their parent
• Shows affection
• Notices when others are hurt or upset, like pausing or looking sad when someone is crying
• Independently drinks from cup

2 yrs1 months

• Runs in a coordinated way
• Unbuttons large, easy buttons

2 yrs 2 months

• Identifies 4 body parts on self (hair, mouth, feet, ear, nose, hands, eyes)
• Throws a large ball

2 yrs 3 months

• Turns regular book pages one at a time
• Answers simple “who”, “what”, “where” questions
• Identifies 4 actions

2 yrs 5 months

• Matches circle, triangle, or square when shown how
• Understands 500+ words

2 yrs 6 months

• Jumps with both feet leaving the floor at the same time
• Grasps pencil with thumb and fingers instead of fist
• Says about 50 words
• Plays next to other children and sometimes plays with them

2 yrs 7 months

• Makes small cuts (snips) on a line with child-safe scissors & some help
• Eats with a fork
• Builds a tower using 8 cubes
• Understands simple spatial concepts (in, on)

2 yrs 9 months

• Uses small beads and pegs
• Points to 6 body parts in a picture when asked
• Understands size concepts (big/little)

2 yrs 11 months

• Strings half-inch beads
• Points to pictures of objects by use
• Verbalizes recent experiences

PRESCHOOL MILESTONES

3 yrs 0 months

• Pedals a tricycle
• Puts on their shoes
• Plays with other children for a few minutes
• Repeat common rhymes
• Uses 3 to 5 word sentences
• Does finger plays while singing little songs
• Copies a circle with pencil and paper
• Names at least 1 color correctly
• Says first name, when asked
• Notices other children and joins them with play
• Calms down within 10 minutes after leaving parents, like at a childcare drop off

3 yrs 2 months

• Kicks a ball 10 feet
• Begins to ask questions

3 yrs 5 months

• Walks up and down stairs, alternating feet, hand on rail
• Says 4 to 5 word sentences
• Understands in front/behind

3 yrs 6 months

• Grasps pencil with thumb, index, and middle fingers
• Counts 5 objects aloud
• Points to or names 4 basic colors
• Builds a tower of more than 9 blocks without help
• Strings (hard tipped) at least 8 half-inch beads into a simple pattern
• Standing, throws a small ball overhand toward a person who is at least 6’ away

3 yrs 9 months

• Completes a 4- or 5-piece puzzle
• Mastered sounds ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘k’, ‘g’, ‘f’, ‘y’

3 yrs 10 months

• Places at least 6 small pegs in board holes
• Describes object use

3 yrs 11 months

• Goes up stairs without support, alternating feet
• Buttons and unbuttons quarter-inch buttons
• Names 5 of 5 different colors like red, blue, yellow, orange, black, white, or pink

4 yrs 0 months

• Draws a person with 3 different body parts
• Follows 3 step direction
• Holds crayon or pencil between fingers and thumb (not fist)
• Pretends to be something else during play (teacher, superhero, dog)
• Likes to be a “helper”

4 yrs 1 months

• Copies a vertical-horizontal cross
• Pedals a tricycle around obstacles and makes U-turns

4 yrs 3 months

• Runs around obstacles and turns corners
• Colors almost entirely within lines of 4-inch wide circle
• Very intelligible in connected speech

4 yrs 5 months

• Climbs rungs of playground slide ladder and slides down unassisted
• Describes pictures using sentences

4 yrs 6 months

• Sorts objects by color, size, and shape
• Copies a square
• Bounces a ball 2-3 times
• Catches a beanbag with hands and chest
• Uses verb tenses

4 yrs 7 months

• Pumps and maintains momentum on a swing
• Cuts out a big circle with scissors

4 yrs 9 months

• Begins to jump rope
• Feels objects without looking and identifies circle, squares, and triangles
• Counts objects aloud to at least 6

4 yrs 10 months

• Draws some simple, recognizable objects
• Uses complex sentences (We went to the store and bought milk)

4 yrs 11 months

• Places 1-1/4” paper clip on paper

5 yrs 6 months

• Balances on one foot for 12 seconds
• Skips using alternate feet at least 4 times
• Prefers to use either right or left hand
• Names most uppercase but not most lowercase letters
• Recognizes own name when printed with lowercase & capital letters

5 yrs 7 months

• Prints own first name in either uppercase or lowercase letters without a model
• Uses all pronouns

5 yrs 9 months

• Cuts well with scissors
• Reads simple 3-letter words that are paired with familiar pictures

5 yrs 11 months

• Does 8 or more push-ups
• Does 5 or more sit-ups
• Follows simple words with eyes and finger while adult reads
• Catches a small ball with two hands
• Rides a bike

6 yrs 1 months

• Prints all numerals 0-9 and all letters without copying
• Understands approximately 13,000 words
• Mastered most speech sounds but may have difficulty with blends such as ‘spl’, ‘tr’
• Understands opposites