Developmental milestones are physical skills or behaviors that children exhibit as they grow and develop. For each milestone, there is an age by which most children have shown that skill. It is important to remember that each child will develop in their own unique way and at their own speed. You may notice that your child has achieved all of these milestones by typical ages, but it is not unusual for a child to develop some skills earlier than typical and other skills later than typical. A delay in one or only a few skills does not mean that your child has a developmental or a global delay. However, if you have concerns about your child’s development, you are encouraged to speak with a school psychologist, your child’s doctor, or other early childhood professional.
This page provides a sampling of the many milestones that infants and young children will reach. There are many resources available with more milestone information. One helpful resource is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Developmental Milestone page. Here you will find additional age ranges, more milestones, and video or photo examples of most skills or behaviors. This site also contains resources for tracking your child’s development, information about when to be concerned about your child’s development, and what to do if you are concerned.
By 2 months, most babies do the following:
Begin to follow things with eyes and recognize people at a distance
Begin to act bored (cries, fussy) if activity doesn’t change
Coo, make gurgling sounds
Turn head toward sounds
Begin to smile at people
Try to look at parent
When feeding, able to do at least 2 sucks in a row before pausing to breathe
Have a rooting reflex where he/she will turn toward the breast or bottle when the side of his/her mouth is stroked
Bring hands to mouth
Hold up head and begin to push up when lying on tummy
Make smoother movements with arms and legs
By 4 months, most babies do the following:
Use hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it
Follow things with eyes from side to side, look back and forth between two objects
Begin to babble
Cry in different ways to show hunger, pain, or being tired
Like to play with people and might cry when playing stops
Copy some movements and facial expressions (example: smiling or frowning)
When eating, sucking, swallowing, and breathing are well coordinated
When eating, able to do about 20 sucks before stopping to breathe
Hold head steady, unsupported
Push down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
By 6 months, most babies do the following:
Show curiosity about things and try to get things that are out of reach
Begin to pass things from one hand to the other
Repeat arm or leg movements to cause an action to occur again
Respond to sounds by making sounds, like taking turns making sounds
Laugh out loud
String vowels together when babbling (“ah,” “eh,” “oh”)
Briefly stop activity when name is called
Respond to other people’s emotions and often seem happy
Comfort self (sucks hand or thumb)
Express desire to be picked up, initiate social contact
Like to look at self in a mirror, may smile or pat own image in mirror
Interact differently with caregivers than with strangers
Begin to eat small amounts of thin, pureed foods such as infant cereal or pureed fruit from a spoon
Start to suck or bite on a baby cookie
Use some up and down chewing movements
Roll over in both directions (front to back, back to front)
Rock back and forth while in crawling position
Sit by him/herself for at least 5 seconds with hips supported
When standing, support weight on legs and might bounce
By 9 months, most babies do the following:
Watch the path of something as it falls
Look for things he/she sees you hide, find things that are partially hidden
Move to get desired items (toy) and persist in efforts
Play peek-a-boo
Understand “no” (briefly stop activity when told “no”)
Copy sounds and gestures of others
Make a lot of different sounds like “mamamama” and “bababababa”
Use fingers to point at things
May be afraid of strangers
May be clingy with familiar persons, extend arms to familiar persons
Express affection
Eat ground or junior baby foods or mashed table foods, close lips to remove food from spoon
Hold or support bottle to drink
Begin to drink from a cup held for him/her but may lose a lot of liquid, take large mouthfuls, and have trouble coordinating drinking and breathing (cough/choke)
Sleep through the night
Pick up things like cereals between thumb and index (pointer) finger
Stand alone while holding onto something, pull to stand
Get into a sitting position and sit without support
Crawl
By 12 months, most babies do the following:
Find hidden things easily, such as a toy hidden under a blanket
Look at the right picture or thing when it is named
Start to use things correctly; for example, drinks from ac up, brushes hair
Let items go from his/her grasp without help
Follow simple spoken commands, like “pick up the toy” or “give daddy the ball”
Use simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye,” and copy gestures
Say “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!”
Try to say words that you say
Point to five or more familiar persons, animals, or toys when asked
Is shy or nervous with strangers, cry when mom or dad leaves
Show fear in some situations
Imitate facial expressions, actions, and sounds
Hand you a book when he/she wants to hear a story, bring toys to share with caregiver
Repeat sounds or actions that cause positive attention or a positive response from others
Start to feed self with finger foods
Start to hold a spoon during meals (but may not feed self with it)
Bite and chew food by himself/herself
Drink from sippy cup independently
Put out arm or leg to help with dressing
Cooperate with hand washing
Get into a sitting position without help
Pull to a stand and walk while holding onto furniture (“cruising”)
Walk three or more steps with help
Hold crayon in a fist and may begin to scribble
By 18 months, most babies do the following:
Show interest in a doll or stuffed animal by pretending to feed it
Manage three or more toys by setting one aside when given a new toy
Know what ordinary things are for; for example, telephone, brush, spoon
Point to one or more body parts when asked
Point to show someone what he/she wants
Say and shake head “no”
Use at least 5 words
Speech can be understood about 25% of the time
Follow directions about placing an item “in” and “on” another
Show affection to familiar people, attempt to comfort others
May have temper tantrums
Like to hand things to others as play
Play simple pretend, such as feeding a doll
Fuss when diaper needs to be changed
Try to wash his/her own hands and face
Help undress him/herself
Use one hand consistently in most activities
Drink from a cup
Eat with a spoon
Scribble on his/her own
Walk alone, pull toys while walking
Creep backwards down steps
By 2 years, most children do the following:
Play simple make-believe games
Find things even when hidden under two or three covers
Follow two-step instructions, such as “Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet”
Name items in a picture book such as cat, bird, or dog
Insert shapes into matching slots
Complete sentences and rhymes in familiar books
Know names of familiar people and body parts
Ask for some items by name
Say phrases or sentences with 2 to 4 words
Speech can be easily understood 50-75% of the time
Point to things or pictures when they are named, point to things in a book
Follow simple instructions
Copy others, especially adults and other children
Get excited with other children
Engage mainly in parallel play (playing side-by-side, watching, copying), but begin to include other children, such as in chase games
Show defiant behavior (doing what he/she has been told not to do)
Ask for help when having trouble
Remove loose clothing such as jacket or shirt without help
Put on simple clothing by him/herself
Use spoon without help
Build tower of 4 or more blocks
Make or copy straight lines and circles
Walk up and down stairs while holding on
Climb onto and down from furniture without help
Kick a ball
Throw a ball overhand
By 3 years, most children do the following:
Stack rings on peg in order of size
Work toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts
Match simple shapes such as circle, square, and triangle
Match objects by color, shape, and size
Complete puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces
Count to 5
Understand what is meant by “one,” “two,” “one more,” and “all”
Copy a circle with pencil or crayon
Turn book pages one at a time
Use about 500 words and can name most familiar things
Speech can be easily understood 75-100% of the time
Say first name, age, and sex (boy or girl)
Say words like “I,” “me,” “we,” and “you” and some plurals (cars, dogs, cats)
Begin to ask questions; ask “what,” “where,” and “why” questions, ask yes/no questions (“It fast?”)
Answer “who” and “whose” questions
Understand words like “in,” “on,” and “under”
Understand negation (“Which one is not on the table?)
Follow instructions with 2 or 3 steps
Carry on a conversation using 2 to 3 sentences
Separate easily from mom and dad
Prefer to play with others than by himself/herself, engage in interactive play, and use toys imaginatively
Look at people when speaking with them, usually make eye contact with familiar people
Show a wide range of emotions and recognize when another person is happy or sad
Understand the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”
Change activities when requested
Dress and undress self
Ask to use potty, have daytime control of toileting needs with occasional accidents
Sit on toilet for at least 1 minutes with supervision
Wash and dry hands and face.
Use fork to stab food
Build towers of more than 6 blocks
Screw and unscrew jar lids or turn door handles
String beads or complete simple lacing
Scribble with crayons
Snip paper with scissors
Run easily
Walk up and down stairs, one foot on each step
By 4 years, most children do the following:
Match objects that have the same function (spoon and fork)
Draw a person with 2 to 4 body parts
Point to basic colors and simple shapes
Name some colors, letters, and numbers
Understand the idea of counting objects; for example, may count to 2 and point to items while attempting to count)
Understand the ideas of same/different, more/less, and heavy/light
Remember parts of a story
Tell what he/she thinks is going to happen next in a story
Use about 800 words
Speech can be understood nearly 100% of the time
Sing a song or say a poem from memory, such as the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or the “Wheels on the Bus”
Tell stories
Tell how simple objects are used
Know some basic rules of grammar, such as correctly using “he” and “she”
Answer most questions
Understand more prepositional words, such as “in front,” “behind,” “up,” “down,” “top,” and “bottom”
Play pretend and become more and more creative with make-believe play
Engage most often in motor-based play and building (going down slide, building towers) but will also participate and copy what other kids are doing
Would rather play with other children than alone, share toys
Cooperate with other children
Talk about what he/she likes and is interested in
Sit and attend to an activity for 10-15 minutes
Begin to express anger in words rather than physical action
Manipulate large buttons or snaps
Dress self completely (except tie shoes)
Return items to where they belong
Clean up spills
Often want privacy in the bathroom
Copy simple shapes
Cut on a line with scissors
Hop and stand on one foot up to 2 seconds
Catch a bounced ball most of the time
Ride tricycle
Gallop
By 5 years, most children do the following:
Draw a person with at least 6 body parts
Count 10 or more things
Recognize his/her own printed name
Name at least 20 letters
Print some letters or numbers from memory (without a model to copy from)
Copy a triangle and other shapes
Identify first, last, and middle
Identify “half” and “whole” objects
Say full name and address
Tell a simple story using full sentences
Use past, present, and future tenses of regular verbs (cooked, cooks, will cook)
Use many irregular verbs and irregular nouns, but sometimes mixes up the correct form (“He falled down”)
State similarities between objects (How are juice and milk alike?)
Identify rhyming words
Understand most of what is heard at home and in school
Follow directions with multiple steps (“Change into your pajamas, brush your teeth, and choose a book)
Carry on a conversation
Like to sing, dance, and act
Want to please friends and to be like friends
Play cooperative games
Ask before using another’s belongings
Is sometimes demanding and sometimes very cooperative
Talk about own feelings
Offer help to others
Tell what is real and what is make-believe
Use the toilet on his/her own
Know which shoe goes on which foot
Select own clothing appropriate for the weather
Brush teeth without help
Put dirty dishes in sink or dishwasher
Color within lines
Cut a straight line
Use a fork and spoon and sometimes a table knife (with supervision)
Stand on one foot for 10 seconds or longer
Hop and may be able to skip
Swing and climb
Early intervention is important for children with special needs. Special education preschool services are available from Posey County Special Services for eligible children ages three through five. To be eligible, a child must receive an educational evaluation by Posey County Special Services and meet criteria for having a disability as set forth by the Indiana State Board of Education Special Education Rules. If you have concerns for your child’s development or would like more information on how to refer your child for an evaluation, contact Posey County Special Services.