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Understanding developmental milestones can help parents and caregivers support a child’s growth and identify any areas where they might need extra help. Here is an overview of typical developmental milestones by age group:
Infants (0-12 Months)
0-3 Months:
Physical: Lifts head when on tummy, makes smoother movements with arms and legs.
Social/Emotional: Begins to smile at people and can briefly calm themselves.
Cognitive: Starts to follow moving objects with eyes and recognizes people at a distance.
Communication: Coos, makes gurgling sounds, turns head towards sounds.
4-6 Months:
Physical: Rolls over from tummy to back, pushes up to elbows when on tummy.
Social/Emotional: Enjoys playing with others and may cry when playing stops.
Cognitive: Brings hands to mouth and passes objects from one hand to another.
Communication: Starts to babble, responds to own name.
7-9 Months:
Physical: Sits without support and starts to crawl.
Social/Emotional: May show fear of strangers, and his favorite toys.
Cognitive: Watches the path of something as it falls, looks for things they see you hide.
Communication: Understands “no” and makes a lot of different sounds like “mamama” and “bababa.”
10-12 Months:
Physical: Pulls to stand, walks, holding onto furniture.
Social/Emotional: Has favorite people, may be shy or nervous with strangers.
Cognitive: Explores things differently, like shaking, banging, throwing.
Communication: Says “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!” and tries to imitate words.
Toddlers (1-3 Years)
12-18 Months:
Physical: Walks alone, drinks from a cup, eats with a spoon.
Social/Emotional: Likes to hand things to others as play, may have temper tantrums.
Cognitive: Knows what ordinary things are for, points to get the attention of others.
Communication: Says several single words, shakes head “no,” points to show what they want.
18-24 Months:
Physical: Begins to run and climb onto and down from furniture without help.
Social/Emotional: Shows defiant behavior and plays mainly beside other children but is beginning to include other children.
Cognitive: Begins to sort shapes and colors and follows simple instructions.
Communication: Says sentences with two to four words and repeats words overheard in conversation.
2-3 Years:
Physical: Stands on tiptoe, kicks a ball, and begins to run.
Social/Emotional: Copies adults and friends and shows affection for friends without prompting.
Cognitive: Can work toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts and plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people.
Communication: Can name most familiar things, understands words like “in,” “on,” and “under,” says first name, age, and sex.
Preschoolers (3-5 Years)
3-4 Years:
Physical: Hops and stands on one foot for up to 2 seconds, catches a bounced ball most of the time.
Social/Emotional: Would rather play with other children than by themselves and cooperate with other children.
Cognitive: Can’t tell what’s real and what’s make-believe; can work toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts.
Communication: Can say first and last names, names some colors, and some numbers.
4-5 Years:
Physical: Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer, hops; may be able to skip.
Social/Emotional: Wants to please friends, wants to be like friends, is more likely to agree with rules.
Cognitive: Can count ten or more things, knows about things used daily, like money and food.
Communication: Speaks very clearly and tells a simple story using full sentences.
Understanding these milestones can help parents recognize normal child development and spot potential issues early. However, every child is unique and may reach milestones at their own pace. If there are concerns about a child's development, it is always a good idea to consult a pediatrician or a child development specialist.