Check out these milestones to assess how your child is performing. If you are still concerned, 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 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 self 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.
- Uses 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 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 sound 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(s) 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-three words
- Resists adult re-direction (the “no” stage)
- Begins to express their sense of humor
- Plays cooperatively with a ball
Self-Care Skills
- Finger feeds self
- Attempts to feed self 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-three blocks
- Place a couple shapes into correct holes of a form-board
- Holds a writing instrument in their fist
Social and Language Skills
- Matches objects
- Turns two-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 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 throwing 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 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 direction of a line
- Colors within the lines of simple shapes
- Draws a square
- Traces 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 stair 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 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 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