Developmental Milestones

Communication (Language) 

• Coo and/or make gurgling sounds  
• Turn heads toward sounds  

Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving)  

• Pay attention to faces 
• Begin to follow things with eyes and recognize people at a distance 
• Begin to act bored by crying or being fussy if activity does not change  

Physical (Movement) 

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

Communication (Language) 

• Begin to babble  
• Babble with expression and copy sounds they hear 
• Cry in different ways to show hunger, pain, or being tired 

Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving) 

• Let adults know if they are happy or sad  
• Respond to affection  
• Reach for toys with one hand  
• Use hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it  
• Follow moving things with eyes from side to side  
• Watch faces closely  
• Recognize familiar people and things at a distance  

Physical (Movement) 

• Hold head steady, unsupported  
• Push down on legs when feet are on a hard surface  
• May be able to roll over from tummy to back  
• Can hold and shake a toy and swing at dangling toys  
• Bring hands to mouth  
• Push up to elbows when lying on stomach 

Communication (Language) 

• Respond to sounds by making sounds  
• String vowels together when babbling (“ah,” “eh,” “oh”) and like taking turns with parent while making sounds  
• Respond to own name  
• Make sounds to show joy and displeasure  
• Begin to say consonant sounds (jabbering with “m,” “b”)  

Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving) 

• Look around at things nearby  
• Bring things to mouth  
• Show curiosity about things and try to get things that are out of reach  
• Begin to pass things from one hand to the other 

Physical (Movement) 

• Roll over in both directions (front to back, back to front)  
• Begin to sit without support  
• Support weight on legs and might bounce when standing 
• Rock back and forth, sometimes crawling backward before moving forward 

Communication (Language) 

• Understand “no”  
• Make a lot of different sounds like “mamamama” and “bababababa”  
• Copy sounds and gestures of others  
• Use fingers to point at things 

Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving) 

• Watch the path of something as it falls  
• Look for things they see adults hide  
• Play call and response games like “peek-a-boo" 
• Put things in their mouth  
• Move things smoothly from one hand to the other  
• Pick up things like cereal o’s between thumb and index finger  

Physical (Movement) 

• Stand, holding on  
• Can get into sitting position 
• Sit without support  
• Pull to stand  
• Crawl 

Communication (Language) 

• Respond to simple spoken requests  
• Use simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye”  
• Make sounds with changes in tone (sounds more like speech)  
• Say “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!”  
• Try to say words you say  

Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving) 

• Explore things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing  
• Find hidden things easily  
• Look at the right picture or thing when it is named  
• Copy gestures 
• Start to use things correctly; for example, drinking from a cup or brushing hair  
• Bang two things together  
• Put things in a container and take things out of a container  
• Let things go without help  
• Poke with index (pointer) finger  
• Follow simple directions like “pick up the toy” 

Physical (Movement) 

• Get to a sitting position without help 
• Pull up to stand, walks holding on to furniture  
• May take a few steps without holding on 
• May stand alone  

Communication (Language) 

• Say several single words  
• Say and shake head “no”  
• Point to show someone what they want  

Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving) 

• Know what ordinary things are for; for example, telephone, brush, spoon  
• Point to get the attention of others  
• Show interest in a doll or stuffed animal by pretending to feed  
• Point to one body part  
• Scribble on their own  
• Can follow 1-step verbal commands without any gestures; for example, sitting when adults say “sit down”  

Physical (Movement) 

• Walk alone  
• May walk up steps and run  
• Pull toys while walking  
• Can help undress themselves 
• Drink from a cup  
• Eat with a spoon 

Communication (Language) 

• Point to things or pictures when they are named  
• Know names of familiar people and body parts  
• Say sentences with 2 to 4 words  
• Follow simple instructions  
• Repeat words overheard in conversation  
• Point to things in a book  

Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving) 

• Find things even when hidden under two or three covers  
• Begin to sort shapes and colors  
• Complete sentences and rhymes in familiar books  
• Play simple make-believe games  
• Build towers of 4 or more blocks  
• Might use one hand more than the other  
• Follow two-step instructions such as “pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.”  
• Name items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog  

Physical (Movement) 

• Stand on tiptoes  
• Kick a ball 
• Begin to run  
• Climb onto and down from furniture without help  
• Walk up and down stairs holding on 
• Throw ball overhand  
• Make or copy straight lines and circles  

Communication (Language) 

• Follow instructions with 2 or 3 steps  
• Can name most familiar things  
• Understand words like “in,” “on,” and “under”  
• Say first name, age, and gender  
• Name a friend  
• Say words like “I,” “me,” “we,” and “you” and some plurals (“cars,” “dogs,” and “cats”)  
• Talk well enough for strangers to understand most of the time 
• Carry on a conversation using 2 to 3 sentences  

Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving) 

• Can work toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts  
• Play make-believe with dolls, animals, and people  
• Do puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces  
• Understand what the word “two” means  
• Copy a circle with pencil or crayon  
• Turn book pages one at a time  
• Build towers of more than 6 blocks  
• Screw and unscrew jar lids or turn door handle 

Physical (Movement) 

• Climb well  
• Run easily  
• Pedal a tricycle (3-wheel bike)  
• Walk up and down stairs, one foot on each step  

Communication (Language) 

• Know some basic rules of grammar, such as correctly using “he” and “she”  
• Sing a song or say a poem from memory, such as the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or the “Wheels on the Bus”  
• Tell stories  
• Can say first and last name  

Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving) 

• Name some colors and some numbers  
• Understand the idea of counting  
• Start to understand time  
• Remember parts of a story  
• Understand the idea of “same” and “different”  
• Draw a person with 2 to 4 body parts  
• Use scissors  
• Start to copy some capital letters  
• Play board or card games 
• Can tell adults what they think is going to happen next in a book  

Physical (Movement) 

• Hop and stand on one foot up to 2 seconds 
• Catch a bounced ball most of the time  
• Pour, cut with supervision, and mash own food  

Communication (Language) 

• Speak very clearly  
• Tell a simple story using full sentences  
• Use future tense; for example, “grandma will be here.”  
• Say name and address 

Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving) 

• Count 10 or more things  
• Can draw a person with at least 6 body parts  
• Can print some letters or numbers  
• Copy a triangle and other geometric shapes  
• Know about things used every day, like money and food  

Physical (Movement) 

• Stand on one foot for 10 seconds or longer  
• Can hop  
• May be able to skip 
• Can do a somersault  
• Use a fork and spoon and sometimes a table knife  
• Can use the toilet on their own 
• Swing and climb