On Development

Age of the Child

3-6 mo.
9-12 mo.
18 mo.-2 yrs
3-4 yrs
5 yrs

3-6 Months

• Turning his/her head to follow movement
• Looking at you and watching or curious about your face
• Smiling
• Cooing or gurgling
• Startling at loud noises
• Moving arms and legs easily
• Raising his/her head when lying on his/her tummy
• Teething
• Crying or being uncomfortable when hungry
• Rolling over
• Holding his/her head up without support
• Reaching for and holding objects
• Mouthing objects or trying to put objects into his/her mouth
• Turning head toward or reacting to sounds
• Babbling or squealing
• Laughing out loud

9-12 Months

• Crawling
• Responding to his/her own name
• Identifying caregivers from strangers
• Saying things like "mama" or "dada"
• Imitating sounds
• Looking without squinting
• Standing with support
• Hitting two objects together
• Playing "peek-a-boo"
• Waving "bye-bye"
• Showing affection
• Reaching for toys
• Walking with one hand held
• Finger feeding him/herself

18 Months - 2 Years

• Attempting to put on shoes
• Feeding him/herself with a spoon
• Liking to help
• Letting his/her needs be known
• Pointing to objects when named
• Walking without help
• Picking up small objects (such as Cheerios)
• Building a tower with blocks
• Listening to short stories
• Turning pages of a book
• Copying another child's play
• Jumping, running, walking up and down stairs with help
• Using two-word sentences
• Often doing the opposite of what is asked

3-4 Years

• Toilet training during the day--usually dry through the night
• Talking and being understood
• Using three-word sentences
• Differentiating between boys and girls
• Pedaling a trike and/or kicking a ball
• Imitating drawing a straight line
• Stringing large objects
• Naming several body parts
• Asking questions
• Playing make-believe
• Dressing him/herself (except for fasteners)
• Putting together a 7- to 12-piece puzzle and identifying colors
• Drawing a face
• Balancing on one foot

5 Years

• Playing organized games
• Following three-step directions
• Cutting with scissors (or using a comparable tool)
• Copying familiar shapes
• Drawing a person with several body parts
• Catching a bounced ball
• Counting to 10
• Understanding the meaning of many words

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