Developmental Milestones
Birth to Five Years
0-1 Months
Gross Motor
- Momentary head elevation when on tummy
- Holds rattle placed in hand
- Turns head side to side
- Reciprocal and symmetrical kicking
Fine Motor
- Looks at objects briefly
- Hands primarily closed especially with touch
Speech / Language / Swallowing
- Draws attention when upset
- Cries become different for pain and hunger
- Coordinates suckling, swallowing, and breathing
- Opens and closes mouth in response to food
Cognition
- Reacts to sound, light, and motion
- Turns head to hear familiar voice
- Highly attuned to faces
2-3 Months
- Holds head up to look at toys
- Holds self on arms when on tummy
- Hands open often
- Brings hands to mouth
- Holds toys purposefully
- Enjoys social play
- Makes comfort sounds
- Begins smiling
- Coos open mouth vowels (aah) and closed vowels (ee)
- Squeals and laughs when pleased
- Awareness of new situations
4-5 Months
- Head no longer drops when pulled to sit
- Sits with support
- Stands holding weight when supported
- Rolls from tummy to back
- Rolls from back to side
- Looks at toys while holding them
- Reaches for, holds and lifts toys with both arms
- Hands are in midline
- Holds and shakes rattle
- Repeats enjoyable activities
- Uses tongue to move food in mouth
- Responds to sound stimulation or speech by making noises
- Begins babbling (reduplicated)(baba, dada)
- Reaches for familiar persons
- Watches bottle prep with excitement
- Reacts to sight of toy
- Mouths, bangs, and shakes toys
6-7 Months
- Rolls from back to tummy
- Sits without support
- Bounces when held standing
- Rocks and pushes up on hands and knees
- Holds bottle
- Holds cookie
- Moves toys from hand to hand
- Voices attitudes other than crying-joy, anger, etc.
- Cooperates in games
- Reacts to music by cooing
- Looks and vocalizes to own name
- Babbles to people
- Drinks from a cup and straw
- Swallows pureed foods
- Stares at strangers
- Looks back and forth between two objects
- Holds arms out to be picked up
- Smiles and vocalizes to mirror image
- Cries if toy removed
8-9 Months
- Pulls to stand
- Crawls
- Moves from sitting to tummy & tummy to sitting
- Cruises sideways
- Picks up small toys
- Bangs toys together
- Uses both hands during play
- Lets only parent meet needs
- Says “dada” and “mama”
- Shouts for attention and adds excitement to vocalizations
- Chews food with coordinated movements
- Babbles a variety of sounds: b,m,p,d,t,n,g,k,w,h,f,v,th,s,z,l,r
- Uncovers toys
- New forms of awareness emerge-plays peek-a-boo and other hiding games
- Begins to understand cause and effect
10-11 Months
- Sits from standing
- Stands alone with one hand held
- Cruises around furniture
- Can stand alone
- Holds crayon
- Pushes car
- Drops toys on purpose
- Uses more than one object in play (hits cup with spoon)
- Babbles using syllables like “badaga” with different sounds
- Babbles in response to human voice
- Understands some words by demonstrating appropriate behavior
- Starts to link meaning to gestures
- Shakes head “no”
12 Months
- Crawls rapidly on hands and knees
- Walks unassisted
- Up on knees without help
- Throws ball
- Scribbles
- Uses index finger to point
- Builds 2 block tower
- Holds cup without handles
- Babbles to him/herself when left alone
- Responds well to introduction of new tasks
- Appetite may decrease
- Wants to be independent
- Displays temper tantrums
13-24 Months
- Beginning to jump
- Climbs into adult chair
- Begins to run
- Walks backwards
- Squats during play
- Throws small balls
- Takes off socks
- Unzips zippers
- Uses a spoon by self
- Sorts a few shapes
- Begins writing and making marks
- Says “oh no” or “uh oh”
- Vocabulary increases (50-250) words
- Begins to put 2 words together
- Recognizes name
- Understands what objects do
- Knows when book is upside down
- Starts pretend play
2 Years
- Bounces ball
- Kicks big ball
- Runs well
- Stands on tip toes
- Stands on one foot
- Jumps forward
- Turns doorknobs
- Strings beads
- Unwraps small objects
- Takes off shoes
- Holds pencil properly instead of in fist
- Vocabulary improves quickly (250-500 words)
- Understands categories
- Imitates 4 word sentences
- Sings parts of songs
- Simple problem solving
- Puts objects together with several parts
3 Years
- Rides a tricycle
- Jumps with feet together
- Catches a large ball with arms/hands
- Kicks a large rolled ball
- Cuts with scissors
- Colors with crayon
- Unbuttons large button
- Builds 9 block tower
- Imitates drawing a cross and circle
- Understands similar and different
- Remembers and tells stories
- Asks many “why” questions
- Answers questions
- Repeats 5 word sentences
- Sorts toys by size and color
- Begins to understand safety awareness
- Gives full name
- Higher level problem solving
- Imaginative play
4 Years
- Stands on one foot for up to 8 seconds
- Skips
- Hops on 1 foot
- Walks on balance beam
- Throws overhand
- Buttons large buttons
- Touches finger to nose with eyes closed
- Traces and copies
- Brushes teeth
- Washes and dries face
- Cuts out shapes
- Answers a variety of “wh” questions
- Understood at least 80% of the time
- Vocabulary of several thousand words
- Gives age and birthday
- Understands most rules
- Abstract thinking emerges
- Understands past and present
- Gives address
5 Years
- Stands still on toes
- Hops on 1 foot 10 times
- Catches small ball bounced by self
- Jumps forward 18-24”
- Copies triangles
- Cuts on a straight line
- Draws a 6-8 part man
- Buttons small buttons
- Tries to color in lines
- Speaks fluently except for confusions with /s,f,th/
- Asks meaning of abstract words
- Can compare objects
- Counts
- Knows morning from afternoon
- Learns left from right