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
SCHOOL AGE
5 yrs 0 months
- Hops on one foot, 8-10 hops
- Jumps over knee-high obstacles with both feet together
- Draws a face with mouth, nose, and eyes
- Dresses and undresses adequately without help
- Prints own name, but not clearly
- Understands 2,500 – 2800 words
- Does simple chores at home, like matching socks or clearing the table after eating
- Counts to 10
5 yrs 4 months
- Reads and writes numerals to 5
- Draws a person with 6 or more different parts
- Tells familiar stories without picture cues
- Understands same/different

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