

How a child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves provides important clues about their development. Most children reach specific developmental milestones by certain ages. Click on the tabs below to learn more about developmental milestones according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
BY 2 MONTHS, MOST CHILDREN...
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
BY 4 MONTHS, MOST CHILDREN...
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
BY 6 MONTHS, MOST CHILDREN...
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
BY 9 MONTHS, MOST CHILDREN...
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
BY 1 YEAR, MOST CHILDREN...
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
BY 18 MONTHS, MOST CHILDREN...
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
BY 2 YEARS, MOST CHILDREN...
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
BY 3 YEARS, MOST CHILDREN...
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
BY 4 YEARS, MOST CHILDREN...
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
BY 5 YEARS, MOST CHILDREN...
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