The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends watching for the following developmental milestones in your child:
- Rolls both ways (front to back, back to front)
- Sits without support
- Responds to own name
- Explores toys with hands and mouth
- Looks for partially hidden objects
- Imitates sounds that you make
- Transfers objects from one hand to the other
- Makes “happy” and “sad” noises
- Scoots or crawls
- Walks with or without support
- Babbles and says “Mama” and “Dada”
- Responds to simple requests
- Pokes and points with index finger
- Uses thumb and index finger to pick up small items
- Has strong preference for primary caregiver
- Imitates gestures like a wave or a kiss
- Climbs onto and down from furniture with assistance
- Points to pictures in a book with index finger
- Stacks items such as books
- Knows three body parts
- Uses several words including “no” and “mine”
- Plays with toys by their function (phone, comb, cups)
- Tries to activate a toy (winding, flipping switch, pushing)
- Does things for attention and looks for a reaction
- Kicks a ball and can walk on tiptoes
- Begins to run
- Uses simple sentences of 2 or more words
- Follows simple directions (e.g., “hand me your book”)
- Sorts items by color, shape and size
- Learning to share and take turns
- Scribbles and may begin to copy vertical lines and circles
- Recites repeated phrases from well-known books
- Catches a ball against chest
- Undresses and unties shoes
- Names actions in pictures (e.g., running, crying)
- Answers “what” and “where” questions
- Categorizes by group (trucks, animals, foods)
- Completes 4 to 5 piece puzzles
- When looking at books, can tell the difference between words and pictures
- Starts to make friends
- Steers a tricycle or pedal car around objects
- Colors within lines and can draw a face
- Knows opposites (hot/cold, big/little)
- Asks “when” “why” and “how” questions
- Uses regular past tense (“ed”)
- Correctly counts out 10 items (1-1 correspondence)
- Recognizes name in print
- Pretends by role playing
- Balances on one foot, skips and jumps forward
- Cuts out shapes with scissors
- Understands 13,000 words
- Answers questions about a story
- Compares amounts using words like “more”, “less”, “same”
- Plays simple board games
- Acts out plays and stories
- Understands rules
- Hops and gallops in a straight line
- Uses mature (tripod) pencil grasp
- Can wait their turn
- Produces all sounds correctly (by 7)
- Correctly uses past and future tenses
- Listens to stories without pictures
- Identifies start and end sounds in words
- Adds and subtracts simple numbers
