Developmental Milestones
Children grow and develop at their own pace. These milestones provide a general guideline and time frame of when your child should demonstrate certain skills. This is not an extensive list. If you are concerned about your child’s development, contact us for a comprehensive developmental evaluation!
3 Months Gross Motor Skills: - Roll over from their stomach onto their back - Lie on their stomach while propped on their forearms - Has head control when sitting supported - Holds their head at a 45-90 degree angle while lying on their stomach - Brings both hands to the midline of their body while lying on their back Fine Motor Skills: - Reaches toward toys while lying on their back - Picks up a rattle - Grasps and holds 1-inch objects Social and Language Skills - Shows an active interest in a person or object for at least 1 minute - Watches a person’s eyes and mouth when they are speaking - Enjoys repeating newly learned activities - Uses their hands and mouth to explore objects - Turns their head and looks toward the sound of a voice that they cannot see - Awakens or quiets to their parents’ voices - Responds to sounds and adult(s) talking by vocalizing - Enjoys social play and demands attention - Socializes with unfamiliar people Self-Care Skills - Their suck and swallow reflex should be integrated - Swallows strained or pureed foods - Brings their hand to their mouth with a toy or object Recognizes their bottle
6 Months Gross Motor Skills: - Moves/pivots their body while lying on their stomach - Rolls over from their back to their stomach - Sits unsupported - Stands with support - Reaches with one arm - Breaks fall by extending their arm(s) and supporting themselves with an open palm Fine Motor Skills: - Picks up two 1 inch objects at once - Transfers items between hands - Bangs items on a table - Grasps objects with thumb and pointer finger - Uses a raking motion to grab small objects Social and Language Skills: - Plays “peek-a-boo” - Plays with a single toy for 2-3 minutes - Follows the trajectory of a fast-moving object - Looks at family members when named - Responds to facial expressions - Babbles to communicate - Waves or responds to “bye” - Reacts to their own name - Says “dada” or “mama” non-specifically - Displays stranger and separation from parent(s) anxiety - Cooperates in games Self-Care Skills: - They use their tongue to move food in their mouth - Mouths and munches on solid foods - Holds their own bottle - Drinks from a cup that is held for them - Feeds self finger foods (e.g., a cracker)
9 Months Gross Motor Skills: - Raises and bears weight on their hands and knees - Creeps forward on hands and knees with opposite arms - Uses an object to pull to stand - Pulls self up from lying on their back to a sitting position while using an object for support - Raises self up from lying on their stomach to a seated position - Breaks fall by extending their arm(s) backward Fine Motor Skills: - Claps their hands - Extends their hand toward a third object while holding a 1-inch object in both hands - Picks up 1-inch objects with the thumb, index finger, and middle finger Social and Language Skills: - Imitates familiar gestures - Responds to simple verbal requests - Listens to speech without being distracted by other sounds - Produces these sounds frequently when babbling: b, m, p, d, t, n, g, k, w, h, f, v, th, s, z, l, r - Babbles with inflection similar to an adult - Shows an understanding of words by appropriate behavior and/or gestures - Tests parent reactions to behaviors - Engages in simple relational play Self-Care Skills: - Chews food with coordinated movements - Finger feeds - Holds a spoon
12 Months Gross Motor Skills: - Releases supporting object and maintains their balance in standing for several seconds - Uses alternating steps to walk while supported by holding an adult’s hand, and begins to walk unsupported - Crawls up steps, using hands and knees - Maintains balance while kneeling - Catches a ball while sitting by trapping it against their body - Rolls a ball forward while sitting - Flings a small ball Fine Motor Skills: - Open a book - Put small objects into a container - Place a shape into the correct hole of a form-board Social and Language Skills: - Shares a toy with an adult - Shows understanding of colors - Points - Says “dada” or “mama” specifically - Communicates with one to three words - Resists adult redirection (the “no” stage) - Begins to express their sense of humor - Plays cooperatively with a ball Self-Care Skills: - Finger feeds self - Attempts to feed oneself with a spoon - Drinks from a cup with some spilling - Indicates discomfort over soiled pants
15 Months Gross Motor Skills: - Crawls backward down steps without support - Walks quickly - Walks backward - Attempts to kick a stationary ball - Maintains their standing balance while throwing a small ball Fine Motor Skills: - Stacks two to three blocks - Place a couple of shapes into the correct holes of a form board - Holds a writing instrument in their fist Social and Language Skills: - Matches objects - Turns two to three pages at a time - Identifies self in a mirror - Attempts to sing - Communicates with 10-15 words - Hugs and kisses caregiver(s) - Plays symbolically (e.g., housework) Self-Care Skills: - Scoops food and feeds self with a spoon, with some spilling - Removes socks from feet - Removes a hat
24 Months Gross Motor Skills: - Runs - Jumps forward with two feet without falling - Walks up steps without support - Kicks a stationary ball forward - Throws a small ball forward with an overhand and underhand throw Fine Motor Skills: - Turns pages in a book, one at a time - Stacks four-six blocks - Draws a vertical line Social and Language Skills: - Engages in simple pretend play (make-believe) - Takes turns - Matches colors and shapes - Knows own gender - Produces the following sounds clearly: p, b, m, k, g, w, h, n, t, d - Uses pronouns for self (e.g., “I”) - Communicates with three-word sentences - Uses past tense - Has a vocabulary of 50+ words - Answers questions -Uses possessive words (e.g., “mine”) Self-Care Skills - Has awareness of common dangers (e.g., stairs, glass, etc.) - Holds spoon with fingers and palm up - Takes lower-body clothing off with assistance - Assists with pullover clothing - Washes hands - Brushes teeth with assistance - Has daytime control of elimination - Wipes nose with assistance - Takes off socks and shoes
36 Months Gross Motor Skills: - Walks down stairs without difficulty - Catches a medium ball - Hits a target with a small ball and throws underhand - Rides a tricycle Fine Motor Skills: - Draws a circle - Cuts paper into two pieces - Grasps writing instrument with fingertips Social and Language Skills: - Understands all common verbs - Understands most common adjectives - Identifies body parts with their function (e.g., eyes to see/look) - Participates in storytelling - Vocabulary of 300-1,000+ words - Begins to respond to opposite analogies - Asks questions that begin with “what,” “where,” and “when” - Has intelligible speech about 80% of the time - Uses plurals - Plays in interactive games Self-Care Skills: - Uses a fork - Uses a napkin - Dries hands - Assists with bathing the self - Verbalizes the need to use the toilet - Dresses with assistance with fastenings - Brushes their hair
4 Years Gross Motor Skills: - Rides a bike with training wheels - Walks down stairs without support - Hops forward on one foot - Runs and stops without falling - Hits a target with a small ball, using an overhand throw Fine Motor Skills: - Grasps a writing instrument with thumb, index finger, and middle finger - Draws a plus sign/cross - Traces a line - Cuts in the direction of a line - Colors within the lines of simple shapes - Draws a square - Trace's name Social and Language Skills: - Remains on task for 5-10 minutes - Speaks with inflection when describing an event or action - Understands directionality (e.g., above, below, next to, first, seconds, last, etc.) - Uses 4-8 word sentences - Completes four simple, related commands in the correct order Self-Care Skills: - Dresses independently upon request without fasteners - Zips and unzips - Puts on socks - Buttons and unbuttons - Puts on shoes (wrong feet) - Attempts to clean self after toileting - Washes and rinses hands and body thoroughly - Cleans nose without request
5 Years Gross Motor Skills: - Efficiently runs and climbs Skips - Walks down stairs while carrying an object - Performs sit-ups Fine Motor Skills: - Draws intersecting diagonal lines (X) - Folds paper with edges parallel - Draws a triangle - Begins to isolate finger from wrist/arm movement when drawing and writing Social and Language Skills: - Sings and dances to different songs - Relates “today,” “tomorrow,” “yesterday” to the days of the week - Interprets story content - Role plays and uses props - Distinguishes the meaning of messages when spoken in different tones - Expresses relationships between concepts - Makes facial expressions appropriate to spoken material - Waits appropriately in group situations - Utilizes good safety procedures (e.g., looks both ways before crossing a street) - Takes turns in social interactions Self-Care Skills: - Zips up front-opening clothing - Cuts with a knife - Buttons and unbuttons - Snaps and unsnaps - Puts shoes on the correct feet
6 Years Gross Motor Skills: - Performs push-ups - Kicks a ball so that it travels in the air - Bounces and catches a small ball with one hand Fine Motor Skills: - Prints all letters of the alphabet legibly - Writes name Social and Language Skills: - Uses compound sentences - Contributes ideas when in a group - Knows birthday and birthplace - Maintains appropriate social distance when conversing with peers - Engages in games with rules Self-Care Skills: - Turns clothing right side out - Cuts with a fork and knife - Brushes teeth at designated routine times - Hooks and separates zipper - Puts on and fastens pants - Ties shoes - Independent with cleaning after elimination
7 Years Self-Care Skills: - Manages tangles and parts hair - Blows and wipes nose independently - Washes and dries face and body thoroughly - Thoroughly cleans self after toileting - Keeps track of schedule