6 Developmental Milestones

Two Months

Cognitive

• Pays attention to faces
• Begins to follow things with eyes and recognize people at a distance
• Begins to act bored (cries, fussy) if activity doesn’t change

Fine Motor

• Grasps reflexively
• Does not reach for objects
• Holds hands in fist

Gross Motor

• Can hold head up and begins to push up when lying on tummy
• Makes smoother movements with arms and legs

Language

• Coos, makes gurgling sounds
• Turns head toward sounds

Social and Emotional

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

Four Months

Cognitive

• Lets you know if she is happy or sad
• Responds to affection
• Reaches for toy with one hand
• Uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it
• Follows moving things with eyes from side to side
• Watches faces closely and recognizes familiar people and things at a distance

Fine Motor

• Brings hands to mouth
• Uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it
• Follows moving things with eyes from side to side
• Can hold a toy with whole hand (palmar grasp) and shake it and swing at dangling toys

Gross Motor

• Holds head steady, unsupported
• Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
• Maybe able to roll over from tummy to back
• Brings hands to mouth
• When lying on stomach, pushes up to elbows

Language

• Begins to babble
• Babbles with expression and copies sounds he hears
• Cries in different ways to show hunger, pain, or being tired

Social and Emotional

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

Six Months

Cognitive

• Looks around at things nearby
• Brings things to mouth
• Shows curiosity about things and tries to get things that are out of reach
• Begins to pass things from one hand to the other
• Looks for partially hidden object
• Looks for fallen toys

Fine Motor

• Reaches with both arms
• Brings things to mouth
• Begins to pass things from one hand to the other

Gross Motor

• Rolls over in both directions (front to back, back to front)
• Begins to sit without support
• When standing, supports weight on legs and might bounce
• Rocks back and forth, sometimes crawling backward before moving forward

Language

• Responds to sounds by making sounds
• Strings vowels together when babbling (“ah,” “eh,” “oh”) and likes taking turns with parent while making sounds
• Responds to own name
• Makes sounds to show joy and displeasure
• Begins to say consonant sounds (jabbering with “m,” “b”)

Social and Emotional

• Knows familiar faces and begins to know if someone is a stranger
• Likes to play with others, especially parents
• Responds to other people’s emotions and often seems happy
• Likes to look at self in a mirror

Nine Months

Cognitive

• Watches the path of something as it falls
• Looks for things he sees you hide
• Plays peek-a-boo
• Puts things in her mouth
• Moves things smoothly from one hand to the other
• Picks up things like cereal o’s between thumb and index finger

Fine Motor

• Puts things in her mouth
• Moves things smoothly from one hand to the other
• Picks up things between thumb and index finger (pincer grip)

Gross Motor

• Stands, holding on
• Can get into sitting position
• Sits without support
• Pulls to stand
• Crawls

Language

• Understands “no”
• Makes a lot of different sounds like “mamamama” and “bababababa”
• Copies sounds and gestures of others
• Uses fingers to point at things

Social and Emotional

• May be afraid of strangers
• May be clingy with familiar adults
• Has favorite toys

One Year

Cognitive

• Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing
• Finds hidden things easily
• Looks at the right picture or thing when it’s named
• Imitates gestures
• Starts to use things correctly; for example, drinks from a cup, brushes hair
• Bangs two things together

Fine Motor

• Reaches with one hand
• Bangs two things together
• Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container
• Lets things go without help
• Pokes with index (pointer) finger

Gross Motor

• Gets to a sitting position without help
• Pulls up to stand, walks holding on to furniture (“cruising”)
• May take a few steps without holding on
• May stand alone

Language

• Responds to simple spoken requests
• Uses simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye”
• Makes sounds with changes in tone (sounds more like speech)
• Says “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!”
• Tries to say words you say

Social and Emotional

• Is shy or nervous with strangers
• Cries when mom or dad leaves
• Has favorite things and people
• Shows fear in some situations
• Hands you a book when he wants to hear a story
• Repeats sounds or actions to get attention
• Puts out arm or leg to help with dressing
• Plays games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake”

18 Months

Cognitive

• Knows what ordinary things are for; for example, telephone, brush, spoon
• 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 commands without any gestures

Fine Motor

• Scribbles on his own
• Can help undress herself
• Drinks from a cup
• Eats with a spoon with some accuracy
• Stacks 2-4 objects

Gross Motor

• Walks alone
• Walks up stairs holding for support
• May run
• Carries and pulls toys while walking
• Can help undress herself
• Climbs onto and down from furniture

Language

• Says several words
• Say and shakes head “no”
• Points to show someone what is wanted
• Uses two word sentences
• Repeats words overheard in conversation

Social and Emotional

• Likes to hand things to others as play
• May have temper tantrums
• May be afraid of strangers
• Shows affection to familiar people
• Plays simple pretend, such as feeding a doll
• May cling to caregivers in new situations
• Points to show others something interesting
• Explores alone but with parent close by.

Two Years

Cognitive

• Begins to sort shapes and colors
• Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books
• Plays simple make-believe games
• Follows two-step instructions such as “Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.”
• Names items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog
• Matches object to picture in book

Fine Motor

• Builds towers of 4 or more blocks
• Might use one hand more than the other
• Makes copies of straight lines and circles
• Enjoys pouring and filling
• Unbuttons large buttons
• Unzips large zippers
• Drinks and feeds self with more accuracy

Gross Motor

• Stands on tiptoe
• Kicks a ball
• Begins to run
• Climbs onto and down from furniture without help
• Walks up and down stairs holding on
• Throws ball overhand

Language

• 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
• Repeats words overheard in conversation
• Points to things in a book

Social and Emotional

• 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)
• Plays mainly beside other children, but is beginning to include other children, such as in chase games

Three Years

Cognitive

• 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

Fine Motor

• Copies a circle with pencil or crayon
• Turns book pages one at a time
• Builds towers or more than 6 blocks
• Screws and unscrews jar lids or turns door handle

Gross Motor

• Climbs well
• Runs easily
• Pedals a tricycle (3-wheeled bike)
• Walks up and down stairs, one foot on each step
• Kicks ball forward
• Throws ball overhand

Language

• 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

Social and Emotional

• 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”
• Shows a wide range of emotions
• Separates easily from mom and dad
• May get upset with major changes in routine
• Dresses and undresses self

Image Credits

Cleveland, D. (2007, November 17). 7-year-old girl wearing kimono in Shichi-go-san festival, Kyoto shrine, Japan. Flickr. CC BY 2.0

Greg, L. (2012, April 20). 18 Months Old. Flickr. CC BY-NC 2.0. https://flic.kr/p/bPbzZF

Woodleywonderworks. (2007, September 14). School friends. Flickr. CC BY 2.0. https:flic.kr/p/37ofKA

Attribution

This chapter is copied and adapted from Appendix C – Developmental Milestones in Introduction to Curriculum for Early Childhood Education, by Jennifer Paris, Kristin Beeve, & Clint Springer, College of the Canyons. shared under a CC BY license.