Each child grows and develops differently.
This gives you general information about what a child from birth
to age five might be doing at a certain age.
If you have concerns
about your child's growth and development, you may want
to consult with your pediatrician, family physician or other health care provider.
2 - 4 weeks:
Raises head momentarily when prone
Fixes on human face and follows with eyes
Responds to parent's face and voice, smiles spontaneously
Responds to sound by blinking, crying, quieting, changing respiration or
showing startle response
Has flexed posture; moves all extremities
Can sleep for three or four hours at a time; can stay awake for one hour
Can be consoled most of the time by being spoken to or held
2 months:
Grasps rattle placed in hand
Social smiles, smiles responsively
Coos and reciprocal vocalization
Shows interest in visual and auditory stimuli
Demonstrates social interaction, follows moving person with eyes
When prone, lifts head, neck and upper chest with support of forearms
Some head control in upright position
4 months:
Holds head high, raises body on hands when prone, sits when supported
Controls head well
Rolls prone to supine
Plays with hands, holds rattle, reaches for objects, holds own hands
Looks at mobile, arms active
Follows object 180 degrees
Smiles, coos, laughs, babbles; initiates social contact, turns to voice
May sleep at least six hours
Able to comfort self, e.g., fall asleep by self
6 months:
Rolls from front to back; sits with support
Bears weight, stands with support
Transfers objects hand to hand
Turns to sound and voice; may show stranger anxiety
Raking hand pattern; grasps and mouths objects
Vocalizes single consonants ("dada", "baba"); may imitate
sounds of speech
Babbles reciprocally; reacts socially by smiling in response to someone else's
smile
Shows recognition of parents; shows interest in toys
Starts to self-feed
First tooth may erupt
9 months:
Sits independently
Reaches for objects with one hand
Crawls, creeps or scoots on bottom
Pulls to stand, stands holding on
Inferior pincer grasp, pokes with index finger
Bangs, throws and drops objects
Finger feeds, starts to use cup
Imitates vocalizations; babbles
May say "dada" and "mama" nonspecifically
Responds to own name
Understands a few words, e.g., "no-no," "bye-bye" - combines
syllables
Can sleep through the night
May show stranger anxiety
Enjoys interactive games, e.g., peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake
Turns toward sound with eyes and head movement
12 months:
Pulls to stand, stands alone, cruises, may take a few steps alone
Has precise pincer grasp
Points; indicates wants
Has vocabulary of one to three words; uses "mama" and "dada" correctly
Recognizes caregiver's voice
Obeys simple requests; waves "bye-bye"
Feeds self; drinks from a cup
Actively looks for hidden or dropped objects
Shows emotions (fear, anxiety, affection)
Imitates
15 months:
Walks alone, bends over, may run
Crawls up stairs
Stacks two blocks
Can point to one or more body parts
Feeds self with fingers, drinks from cup
Understands simple commands
Listens to a story
Has vocabulary of three to six words
Indicates wants by pointing or grunting
Imitates activity
Can remove some clothing
18 months:
Likes to climb and run, walks backwards; climbs into chair, sits in chair
Throws/kicks ball; stacks three or four blocks
Has a vocabulary of 15-20 words, uses two word phrases, imitates words
Uses a spoon and cup, can remove clothing
Listens to a story, looking at pictures and naming objects
Plays with toys appropriately, e.g., pulls a pull toy, cuddles a doll
Answers simple questions by pointing, follows simple directions
Scribbles spontaneously, imitates crayon strokes
Dumps object from bottle without demonstration
Shows affection, hugs and kisses
24 months:
Climbs up and down steps holding on with one hand
Jumps, runs, throws overhand
Stands on one foot with little support
Can stack five or six blocks
Has a vocabulary of 50+ words, two word phrases, understands pronouns
Speech should be intelligible to parents
Parallel play dominant
Possessive with toys
Can follow two-step commands, can name some body parts
Makes or imitates horizontal and circular strokes with crayon
Imitates adults
Increasing attention span
Separation anxiety from parents
Brushes teeth with help, puts on clothing, washes hands
3 years:
Jumps in place, kicks a ball, balances on one foot, stacks blocks
Rides a tricycle
Alternates feet ascending stairs
Knows name, age and gender
Copies circle and cross, visually discriminates colors
Has some self care skills, e.g., feeding and dressing self
Demonstrates speech that is mostly intelligible
Pretend play well developed
Can follow directions
Names colors
4 years:
Hops, jumps forward, alternates feet when climbing stairs, balances on each
foot, climbs
Rides a tricycle
Builds tower of 10 or more cubes, plays board/card games
Throws overhand
Ability to cut and paste
Draws a person with two or three parts; copies circle, cross and square
Can sing a song
Can talk about daily activities
Can distinguish fantasy from reality
Make believe play, imaginary playmates
Puts away own toys
Dresses and undresses self, brushes teeth with no help
5 years:
Dresses self without help, ties shoelaces
Balances on each foot, heel-to-toe walk, can count on fingers
Knows own address and phone number
Recognizes colors and common shapes
Copies simple shapes (e.g., triangle or square), able to print a few letters
and numbers
Draws a person with head, body, arm and legs
Speaks in phrases that are understood by others
Plays make believe and dress up
Plays and shares with others
Understands opposites
Recalls parts of stories
There is no simple method for determining that a child is ready
for kindergarten, but this list from a child-development specialist
may help parents evaluate their children’s developmental
level. These developmental skills are important for a child if
he or she is to function happily in the kindergarten classroom.
