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What is typical child development by age?
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1 to 3 months:
- Intermittently holds head in supported sitting
- When on belly raises head and chest, may support self on forearms
- Actively holds rattle placed in hands
- Follows dangling object from side past midline with eyes
- Smiles/laughs and uses other vocal expressions of pleasure
4 to 6 months:
- Rolling from belly to back and back to belly
- Holds head up independently in supported sitting
- Bears weight on forearms when on belly (chest/head up)
- Plays with feet when lying on back
- Reaching and grasping for objects
- Bringing toys to mouth for oral exploration
- Can use eyes to track an object without moving head
- Expresses anger/displeasure with vocal patterns other than crying
- Smiles at self in mirror
- Bangs/mouths objects during play
- Often uses sounds like “p”, “b”, “m”
6 to 8 months
- Pivoting when on belly
- Sits unsupported (hands free to play)
- Props and reaches across body in sitting
- Gets onto hands and knees
- Transfers object from one hand to other
- Reaches outspread fingers towards small object, raking grasp
- Bangs two objects together
- Feeds self a cracker
- Responds to gesture “up”, “come here”, and “no”
- Frequent 2-syllable babbling
9 months
- Gets in and out of sitting
- Crawls on hands and knees
- Pulls to standing
- Picks up small objects with thumb and index finger
- Pokes with index finger
- Waves bye-bye
- Gives object upon verbal request
- Says first words (e.g. dada or mama)
10 to 12 months
- Walks holding on to furniture
- Stands momentarily without support
- Takes objects in and out of container
- Functional play emerges (e.g. roll ball, brush to head, phone to ear)
- Holds crayon and scribbles
- Holds cup and drinks from it
- Feeds self finger foods
- Identifying 1-2 body parts on self
- Repeats performance if laughed at
- Plays peek-a-boo
- Understands “give it to me”
12 to 15 months
- Walks unassisted forward, sideways and backwards
- Squats to play or retrieve toy without support
- Gets to feet without help
- Builds tower of two small blocks
- Scribbles spontaneously
- Turns pages in book two or three at once
- Uses spoon in feeding
- Actively participates in self-care (e.g. holds hands out for washing)
- Consistently follows 1-step commands
- Shakes head “no”
- Attempts to sing along with music
- Uses expressive vocabulary (1-3 words)
15 to 18 months
- Walks fast, runs stiffly
- Up and down stairs with one hand held, two feet to each step
- Throws ball forward in standing
- Stacks 3 to 4 small blocks
- Correctly places shapes in foam board
- Takes off untied shoes
- Coordinated cup drinking
- Uses 7 or more (up to 20) single words
- Names a few familiar objects
- Understands two related requests
18 to 24 months
- Kicks large ball
- Walks and runs fairly well
- Upstairs without support, two feet to each step
- Jumps up clearing both feet
- Skilled dissociation (one hand manipulates while other hand stabilizes)
- Dumps pellets from bottle purposefully
- Uses 10-20 single words
- Starting to say 2-3 words in phrases
- Points to several body parts on request (e.g. nose, mouth, hair)
- Understands and identifies most common objects
- Turn taking during conversation present
24 to 36 months
- Stands on one foot for one second
- Walks upstairs with alternating feet without support
- Jumps from bottom step with both feet without support
- Builds tower of 6 to 7 small blocks
- Imitates vertical line/crude circle
- Strings beads
- Dresses with assistance
- Brushes teeth but not thoroughly
- Refers to self by name and can state gender
- Uses simple sentences and phrases (2 to 3 words)
- Starting to name colors
- Understands size concept (big and little)
- Demonstrates parallel play
- Uses most toys appropriately
36 to 48 months
- Walks down stairs alternating feet without support
- Balance on each foot 3-5 seconds
- Rides tricycle using pedals
- Catches large ball
- Reaches on tip toes
- Jumps forward 6 to 12 inches with 2-foot take off
- Holds marker with fingers in tripod position
- Copies a cross
- Cuts along one inch line with scissors
- Completes 4 piece puzzle
- Unbuttons, unties, and unzips
- Feeds self with little spilling, using fork
- Counts to three
- Follows a three step unrelated command
- Attention span 2 to 4 minutes
4 years
- Hops on each foot 3-5 seconds
- Walks on a line without stepping off
- Rolls forward (somersaults)
- Throws ball overhand 5-10 feet
- Places 10 pennies in small bottle one at a time
- Pours liquid from pitcher or carton
- Buttons and unbuttons
- Speech is 80% intelligible
- Recognizes 3 colors
- Counts to 10 by rote
- Uses sentences of 4 to 8 words
5 years
- Skips 8 to 10 steps
- Walks heel to toe on a line
- Stands on each foot with eyes open 5 to 10 seconds
- Can rapidly touch each finger to thumb after demonstration
- Connects dots with straight lines
- Brushes teeth independently
- Uses knife to spread
- Sequentially names days of week
- Asks “how” questions
- Names six colors and shapes
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