Developmental milestones in children

• Begins to smile at people
• Can briefly calm himself (may bring hands to mouth and suck on hand)
• Tries to look at parent

Language/Communications

• Coos, makes gurgling sounds
• Turns head toward sounds

Movement/Physical/Cognitive Development

• Can hold head up and begins to push up when lying on tummy
• Begins to follow things with eyes and recognize people at a distance

• Doesn’t respond to loud sounds
• Doesn’t watch things as they move
• Doesn’t smile at people
• Doesn’t bring hands to mouth
• Can’t hold head up when pushing up when on tummy.

• Smiles spontaneously, especially at people
• Likes to play with people and might cry when playing stop
• Copies some movements and facial expressions, like smiling or frowning

Language/Communications

• Begins to babble
• Cries in different ways to show hunger, pain and being tired

Movement/Physical/Cognitive Development

• Holds head steady, unsupported
• Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
• May be able to roll over from tummy to back
• Can hold a toy and shake it and swing at dangling toys
• Brings hands to mouth
• When lying on stomach, pushes up to elbows
• Reaches for toy with one hand
• Follows moving things with eyes from side to side
• Recognizes familiar people and things at a distance

• Doesn’t watch things as they move
• Doesn’t smile at people
• Doesn’t bring hands to mouth
• Doesn’t coos or make sounds
• Doesn’t push down with legs when feet are placed on a hard surface.

• Knows familiar faces
• Likes to play with others especially parents
• Likes to look at self in a mirror

Language/Communications

• Strings vowels together when babbling (‘ah’, ‘eh’, ‘oh’)
• Responds to own name
• Makes sounds to show joy and displeasure

Movement/Physical/Cognitive Development

• Rolls over in both directions
• Begins to sit without support
• When standing, supports weight ion legs and might bounce
• Rocks back and forth
• Brings things to mouth
• Begins to pass things from one hand to the other

• Doesn’t try to get things that are in reach
• Shows no affection for caregivers
• Doesn’t respond to sounds around him/her
• Has difficulty getting things to mouth
• Doesn’t make vowel sounds (“ah”, “eh”, “oh”)
• Doesn’t roll over in either direction
• Doesn’t laugh or make squealing sounds
• Seems very stiff, with tight muscles
• Seems very floppy, like a rag doll

• Has favourite toys
• May be afraid of stranger
• May be clingy to familiar adults

Language/Communications

• Understands ‘ no’
• Makes a lot of different sounds like ‘mama’, ‘baba’.
• Copies sounds and gestures of others
• Uses fingers to point at things

Movement/Physical/Cognitive Development

• Looks for things he/she sees you hide
• Plays peek-a-boo
• Puts things in her mouth
• Picks up things using thumb and index finger
• Stands holding on
• Can get into sitting position
• Sits without support
• Crawls
• Pulls to stand

• Doesn’t bear weight on legs with support
• Doesn’t sit with help
• Doesn’t babble (“mama”, “baba”, “dada”)
• Doesn’t respond to own name
• Doesn’t seem to recognize familiar people
• Doesn’t look where you point
• Doesn’t transfer toys from one hand to the other

• Cries when mom or dad leaves
• Has favourite things and people
• Shows fear in some situations
• Repeats sounds or actions to get attention
• Puts out arm or leg to help with dressing

Language/Communications

• Responds to simple spoken requests
• Waves bye bye
• Tries to say words you say

Movement/Physical/Cognitive Development

• Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging and throwing
• Finds hidden things easily
• Copies gestures
• Starts to use things correctly like drinking from a cup, brushes hair
• Bangs two things together
• Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container
• Pokes with index finger
• Follows simple instructions like ‘pick up the toy’

• Doesn’t crawl
• Can’t stand when supported
• Doesn’t search for things that she sees you hide.
• Doesn’t say single words like “mama” or “dada”
• Doesn’t learn gestures like waving or shaking head
• Doesn’t point to things
• Loses skills he once had

• Likes to hand things to others as play
• May have temper tantrums
• May be afraid of strangers
• Shows affection to familiar people
• May cling to caregivers in new situations
• Points to show others something interesting
• Explores alone but with parents close by

Language/Communications

• Says several single words
• Says and shakes head ‘no’
• Points to show someone what he wants

Movement/Physical/Cognitive Development

• Points to get the attention of others
• Shows interest in a doll or stuffed animal by pretending to feed
• Points to one body part
• Scribbles on his own
• Can follow 1-step verbal command without gestures, for example, sits when you say ‘sit down’
• Walks alone
• May walk upstairs and run
• Pulls toys while walking

• Doesn’t point to show things to others
• Can’t walk
• Doesn’t know what familiar things are for
• Doesn’t copy others
• Doesn’t gain new words
• Doesn’t have at least 6 words
• Doesn’t notice or mind when a caregiver leaves or returns
• Loses skills he once had

• Copies others, especially adults and older children
• Gets excited when with other children
• Shows more and more independence
• Shows defiant behaviour (doing what he has been told not to do)

Language/Communications

• Points to things or pictures when they are named
• Knows names of familiar people and body parts
• Says sentences with 2 to 4 words
• Follows simple instructions
• Points to things in books

Movement/Physical/Cognitive Development

• • Finds things even when hidden under 2 or 3 covers
  • Begins to sort shapes and colours
  • Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books
  • Builds towers of 4 or more blocks
  • Might use one hand more than the other
  • Follows two step instructions like ‘pick up your shoes and put them in the basket’
  • Names items in a picture book like cat, bird, or dog
  • Stands on tiptoe

• Kicks a ball

• Doesn’t use 2-word phrases (for example, “drink milk”)
• Doesn’t know what to do with common things, like a brush, phone, fork, spoon
• Doesn’t copy actions and words
• Doesn’t follow simple instructions
• Doesn’t walk steadily
• Loses skills she once had

• Copies adults and friends
• Shows affection for friends without prompting
• Takes turns in games
• Shows concern for a crying friend
• Understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”
• Separates easily from mom and dad
• May get upset with major changes in routine
• Dresses and undresses self

Language/Communications

• Follows instructions with 2 or 3 steps
• Can name most familiar things
• Understands words like “in,” “on,” and “under”
• Says first name, age, and sex
• Names a friend
• Says words like “I,” “me,” “we,” and “you” and some plurals (cars, dogs, cats)
• Talks well enough for strangers to understand most of the time
• Carries on a conversation using 2 to 3 sentences

Movement/Physical/Cognitive Development

• Can work toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts
• Plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people
• Does puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces
• Understands what “two” means
• Copies a circle with pencil or crayon
• Turns book pages one at a time
• Builds towers of more than 6 blocks
• Screws and unscrews jar lids or turns door handle

• Falls down a lot or has trouble with stairs
• Drools or has very unclear speech
• Can’t work simple toys (such as peg boards, simple puzzles, turning handle)
• Doesn’t speak in sentences
• Doesn’t understand simple instructions
• Doesn’t want to play with other children or with toys
• Doesn’t make eye contact
• Loses skills he once had

• Enjoys doing new things
• Plays ‘mom’ and ‘dad’
• Would rather play with other children than by himself
• Cooperates with other children
• Talks about what she likes and what she’s interested in

Language/Communications

• Sings a song and says a poem from memory such as ‘wheels on the bus’
• Tells stories
• Can say first and last name

Movement/Physical/Cognitive Development

• Names some colours and numbers
• Understands the idea of counting
• Starts to understand time
• Remembers part of a story
• Draws a person with 2 or 4 body parts
• Uses scissors
• Starts to copy some capital letters

• Can’t jump in place
• Has trouble scribbling
• Shows no interest in interactive games or make-believe
• Ignores other children or doesn’t respond to people outside the family
• Resists dressing, sleeping, and using the toilet
• Doesn’t follow 3-part commands
• Doesn’t use “me” and “you” correctly
• Speaks unclearly
• Loses skills he once had

• Wants to please friends
• Wants to be like friends
• More likely to agree with rules
• Likes to sing, dance, and act
• Is aware of gender
• Can tell what’s real and what’s make-believe
• Shows more independence (for example, may visit a next-door neighbour by himself [adult supervision is still needed])
• Is sometimes demanding and sometimes very cooperative

Language/Communications

• Speaks very clearly
• Tells a simple story using full sentences
• Uses future tense; for example, “Grandma will be here.”
• Says name and address

Movement/Physical/Cognitive Development

• Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer
• Hops
• Can do a somersault
• Uses a fork and spoon and sometimes a table knife
• Can use the toilet on her own
• Swings and climbs
• Counts 10 or more things
• Can draw a person with at least 6 body parts
• Copies a triangle and other shapes
• Knows about things used every day like money and food

• • Doesn’t show a wide range of emotions
  • Shows extreme behaviour (unusually fearful, aggressive, shy or sad)
  • Unusually withdrawn and not active
  • Is easily distracted, has trouble focusing on one activity for more than 5 minutes
  • Doesn’t respond to people, or responds only superficially
  • Doesn’t play a variety of games and activities
  • Can’t give first and last name
  • Doesn’t use plurals or past tense properly
  • Doesn’t talk about daily activities or experiences
  • Doesn’t draw pictures
  • Can’t brush teeth, wash and dry

hands, or get undressed without help

• Loses skills he once had