Developmental Milestones

All babies and young children are unique. As a result, young children rarely do the same thing at exactly the same age. Many have strengths and interests in some areas and develop skill in other areas more slowly. Some have special health and developmental needs. Some children benefit from extra help in some areas of development, yet do well in other areas of development. Children reach developmental milestones during a range of time and after many repeated opportunities to practice new skills throughout the routines of the day.

While parents are the experts on their own child and nurture their child’s development best, sometimes it can be helpful to have information, support and resources when there are questions or concerns. Read the developmental charts to see how your child is developing compared to children his or her age. If you have a question or concern about your child’s development; call us, the Vermont Family Network – Children’s Integrated Services – Early Intervention Program at (802) 876-5315 ext. 235.

Developmental Milestones – Ages 0-6

By 4 months of age, most babies:

• turn their heads toward bright color and lights
• move both eyes in the same direction together
• recognize bottle or breast and show excitement for feeding at times
• respond to comfort when distressed
• react to sudden sounds or voices
• make cooing sounds, cry, smile and laugh in response to others
• look at speakers and respond differently to their parents voices
• suck on their hands; watch their hands; bring their hands together
• reach for, grasp, hold and look at toys
• wiggle and kick with arms and legs
• lift head and chest when on stomach

By 7 months of age, most babies:

• reach for objects and pick them up
• hold two toys; switch toys from one hand to the other; shows displeasure at the loss of a toy
• play with their toes
• help hold the bottle during feeding
• roll over
• sit alone briefly
• recognize familiar faces
• laugh; squeal; vocalize to people and toys
• comfort themselves by sucking on their hand or using a pacifier
• imitate facial expressions and knocking with their hand

By 10 months, most babies:

• Move from a sit to a crawl
• Play pat-a-cake
• Pull to a stand
• Uses a pincer grasp
• Use their voice to gain attention
• Respond to familiar words and names
• Work to get things that are out of reach
• React to strangers; object from separation
• Seek and avoid objects
• sit indefinitely

By 13 months of age, most babies:

• Walk a few steps on their own
• Throw a ball
• Creep upstairs
• drink from a cup
• wave bye-bye
• hold out their arms and legs while being dressed
• put objects in a container
• stack two blocks
• know an object is still there when it is not in sight
• know five or six words
• say a few words or animal/vehicle sounds
• imitate a scribble
• help with dressing by holding out arms and legs
• imitate simple adult activities
• show affection and anger
• use toys or objects to comfort oneself
• enjoy looking at a picture book

By 18 months, most children:

• step off a low object and keep balance
• climb onto adult furniture
• follow simple directions (“Bring the ball”)
• pull off socks, shoes, and mittens
• make marks on paper with crayons
• like to look at pictures
• feed themselves
• use 10-15 words; imitate new words
• walk without help
• like to pull, push and dump things
• show what they want by pointing
• show oppositional and affectionate behavior
• demonstrate pride in new accomplishements

By 2 years of age, most children:

• say about 50 words (including animal sounds)
• begin to combine two words spontaneously
• use words to express their wants or ask for help
• recognize familiar pictures
• carry something while walking
• run well
• walk upstairs with help
• kick a ball
• stand on one foot briefly
• feed themselves with a spoon
• play independently (*check on norm for minimum time)
• imitate their parent
• distinguish between “you” and “me;” begin to say “me” and “I”
• identify hair, eyes, ears, and nose by pointing
• build a tower of six blocks
• make circular marks with a crayon
• put a puzzle piece in with help
• try to do things themselves
• can sometimes recover from a small hurt on their own

By 3 years of age, most children:

• walk up steps (alternating feet)
• ride a tricycle
• balance on each foot
• put on their shoes
• open doors
• turn one page at a time
• hold a crayon with an adult grasp (fingers and thumb instead of in a fist)
• put beads on a string
• imitate marks and circles on paper
• build a tower with ten blocks
• put simple puzzle pieces in a puzzle
• use objects to pretend
• play with other children for a few minutes
• understands concept of turn taking
• try to defend themself
• repeat common rhymes or songs
• use three-to-five-word sentences
• can answer simple “what” and “where” comprehension questions
• are toilet trained
• help their parents
• show they are interested in gender differences
• show a range of emotions including pleasure, anger, fear and affection

Three to Four Years- Children are likely to be able to:

• run around obstacles
• ride and steer a tricycle
• pump on a swing
• use a slide independently
• throw and catch balls
• are understood by strangers, though they may still have some sound errors
• use plurals and past tense
• understand “if…then” and “because” concepts
• can follow 2-4 related directions
• can sing a song and say a nursery rhyme
• understand comparisons with size
• understand “if…then” and “because” concepts
• ask and answer simple “what” and “where” comprehension questions
• name at least one color correctly
• can count to five
• can draw and name parts of their pictures
• can state their full name and their age
• are aware of past and present
• learn by observation of adults and listening to an adult’s explanations
• can attend to an activity for 5-15 minutes
• recognize and match colors
• group and organize objects
• reflect on and talk about their day
• can use more complex tools for feeding/dull knives and pitchers
• can wash hands and blow their own noses

Four to Five Years- Children are likely to be able to:

• walk backwards
• jump forward
• do somersaults
• cut on a line with scissors
• print some capital letters
• draw squares and crosses
• play with their words and make up rhymes
• know many colors
• draw people and describe details of pictures
• count to ten
• recognize numbers
• tell you their street name and the town they live in
• listen to long stories and understand sequences
• retell stories and combine thoughts into one sentence
• follow three unrelated directions
• develop friendships
• have awareness of the feelings of others
• explore ideas about fairness and behavior
• compare themselves to others
• show interest in gender differences
• enjoy imaginative and dramatic play with other children and can act out whole scenes

Five to Six Years- Children are likely to be able to:

• Your five year old is likely to be able to:
• organize children and objects to plan pretend events
• be highly imaginative
• follow rules
• talk in the future tense
• understands rhyming
• use grammatically correct speech
• ask more analytical questions
• initiate conversations
• wait their turn to speak during group discussions
• know opposites
• know their upper and lower case letters and which sounds they represent
• do simple addition and subtraction
• skip
• learn to ride a bicycle and swim
• copy triangles and other patterns
• brush their own teeth and take care of some personal care
• manage zippers and buttons
• want to do many things on their own
• want to be like their friends
• negotiate and compromise to resolve conflicts
• persist in long term projects and return to them after interruption