Developmental Milestones

0-2 months:

• Lifts and turns head to the opposite side.
• Tracks object to each side.
• Grasps object.
• Rolls to back from both left and right sides.

3-5 months:

• Brings hands to midline.
• Lifts head and upper trunk to 45 degrees.
• Rolls from back to both left and right sides.
• Maintains balance in sitting position.
• Picks up objects.
• Hits at dangling objects with hands.

6-8 months:

• Elevates head and stomach, bearing weight on palms.
• Rolls from back to stomach.
• Pulls to sitting by pulling adult’s fingers.
• Sits unsupported.
• Transfers objects between hands.

9-11 months:

• Raises and bears weight on hands and knees.
• Pulls to standing.
• Lowers from standing to sitting position.
• Maintains balance while sitting and manipulating objects.
• Claps hands.
• Grasps objects with thumb and index finger.
• Stands unsupported for five seconds.

12-14 months:

• Walks unsupported for five steps.
• Rolls a ball in sitting position.
• Turns pages of a book.
• Crawls up a few stairs on hands and knees.
• Holds multiple objects in one hand.
• Imitates by scribbling.
• Flings a ball.

15-18 months:

• Creeps down stairs independently.
• Throws ball overhand.
• Stacks two to three cubes.
• Turns container over to dump contents.
• Brings spoon to mouth with little spilling.
• Marks independently on paper.

19-24 months:

• Runs forward 10 feet.
• Jumps down one stair without assistance.
• Can kick a ball forward.
• Stacks four to six blocks.
• Looks at and turns pages of books independently.
• Scribbles without going off the paper.
• Zips and unzips easy zippers.

25-30 months:

• Runs 30 feet.
• Presents arms and attempts to catch a ball.
• Draws a horizontal line.
• Draws strokes, dots and circular shapes.
• Stacks seven to eight blocks.
• Makes small cuts on lines.

31-36 months:

• Jumps forward 24 inches with 2-footed landing.
• Stands on one foot for three seconds.
• Catches ball tossed easily.
• Sorts objects by size and color when shown how.
• Draws circles.
• Pour accurately from one container to another.
• Screws and unscrews jar lids.

37-42 months:

• Stands on one foot for five seconds.
• Cuts paper into two pieces.
• Laces three holes.
• Unbuttons three buttons.
• Draws a cross.
• Uses both spoon and fork without spillage.

43-48 months:

• Stands on one foot with minimal swaying.
• Unbuttons and buttons large buttons.
• Cuts on a line.
• Begins to copy some vertical/horizontal letters.
• Puts shoes on.
• Jumps forward 30 inches with two footed landing.

49-54 months:

• Completes a forward roll.
• Dresses and undresses without much help.
• Draws a square.
• Cuts out circle and square printed on paper.
• Grasps market correctly.
• Connects dots with straight line.

55-60 months:

• Completes three sit-ups.
• Colors between vertical lines.
• Folds paper in half with edges parallel.
• Traces around own hand with a crayon.
• Completes simple dot to dot pictures.

• Skips.
• Reads and writes numbers to five.
• Performs jumping jacks.
• Names most uppercase letters.
• Prints a few capital letters without copying.
• Copies triangle.
• Performs eight push-ups.
• Bounces and catches a small ball.

0-4 months:

• Holds head in midline.
• Moves legs and arms when laying on back.
• Lifts and turns head when on stomach.
• Brings hands together when laying on back.
• Rolls to back from left and right sides.
• Plays with feet.

5-6 months:

• Sits using hands for support.
• Sits independently for short periods.
• Begins to belly crawl.
• Grabs both feet and brings to mouth.
• Rolls from back to stomach.
• Props on extended arms when on belly.

7-8 months:

• Maintains sitting for 60 seconds.
• Elevates head and stomach, bearing weight on palms.
• Rolls from stomach to back.
• Rolls from back to stomach.
• Pulls to sitting by pulling adult’s fingers.

9-12 months:

• Maintains balance while sitting and playing with a toy.
• Pulls to standing.
• Lowers to sitting position from standing.
• Raises and bears weight on hands and knees.
• Crawls independently.
• Begins to “cruise” on and between furniture.

12-14 months:

• Transitions to stand using hands and feet.
• Walks five to 10 steps independently.
• Rolls a ball three feet forward in a sitting position.
• Creeps up stairs on hands and knees.
• Transitions sit to stand and stand to sit.
• Stoops to pick up an object from the floor with support.

15-18 months:

• Creeps down stairs independently.
• Throws underhand.
• Walks backward five steps.
• Walks downstairs with support of one finger.
• Walks fast.
• Lifts foot to contact ball.

19-24 months:

• Runs forward 10 feet.
• Kicks ball three feet.
• Rides a pushbike.
• Walks with one foot on a balance beam.

25-30 months:

• Jumps down from a low surface.
• Jumps forward four inches.
• Negotiates slide independently.
• Walks up and down four steps without a railing.
• Walks backward 10 feet.
• Presents arms and attempts to catch a ball.
• Throws ball seven foot underhand.

31-36 months:

• Stands on one foot for three seconds.
• Jumps forward 24 inches.
• Jumps down 24 inches.
• Catches a large ball.
• Walks on tiptoes for eight feet.
• Walks up stairs without a railing, alternating feet.

37-42 months:

• Runs 45 feet.
• Stands on one foot for five seconds.
• Throws a ball overhand.Catches a large ball with hands only.

42-48 months:

• Walks down stairs without a railing, alternating feet.
• Hops forward six inches on one foot.
• Jump forward 30 inches.
• Throws ball underhand 10 feet.

49-54 months:

• Performs a forward roll.
• Stands on tiptoes for eight seconds.
• Gallops 10 feet.
• Jumps forward 36 inches.
• Bounces a ball so it hits the floor then the wall.
• Skips eight steps.

55-60 months:

• Skips 10 steps.
• Pumps self on the swing.
• Stands on one foot for 10 seconds.
• Completes three sit-ups.

• Performs five sit-ups in 30 seconds.
• Performs eight push-ups in 20 seconds.
• Bounces and catches a small ball.
• Able to perform monkey bars.
• Hops 20 feet in six seconds.

0-6 months:

• Startles at loud noises.
• Recognizes familiar voices.
• Cry changes for different needs.
• Makes cooing sounds.
• Smiles at people.
• Follows directions of sounds.
• Giggles and laughs.

6-12 months:

• Turns when name is called.
• Babbles long strings of sounds (mimi, bababa).
• Understands words for common items and people (cup, ball, daddy).
• Imitates different speech sounds.
• Uses gestures like waving bye and shaking head no.

12-18 months:

• Takes turns vocalizing.
• Uses 10 words, including names.
• Follows one-part directions.
• Points to some body parts when asked.
• Uses p, b, m, h and w in words.

18-24 months:

• Uses 10-20 words, including names.
• Uses two-word phrases.
• Understands at least 50 words.
• Asks for “more.”
• Names at least five common items.

24-30 months:

• Has 100 words in their vocabulary.
• Begins using three-word phrases.
• Frequently uses two-word phrases.

30-36 months:

• 50-75% intelligible.
• Has 450 words in their vocabulary.
• Knows own first name.
• Consistently uses three to four word phrases.
• Responds to greetings.
• Answers “where” questions.

• 75% intelligible to listeners.
• Has 1000 words in their vocabulary.
• Follows simple three-step commands.
• Produces sounds: m, n, p, b, f, h and w.
• Speaks in sentences.
• Tells simple stories.
• Begins using regular plural -s and possessive -s.

• 80% intelligible to listeners.
• Uses four- to five-word sentences with correct sentence structure.
• Has 1500 words in their vocabulary.
• Produces sounds: m, n, p, b, t, d, k, g, f, h and w.
• Asks questions including “who?” and “why?”

• 90-100% intelligible to listeners.
• Has 2000+ words in their vocabulary.
• Uses five- to six-word sentences.
• Understands words for time (yesterday, today, tomorrow).
• Can successfully tell a story.
• Uses most speech sounds correctly.

0-6 months:

• Latches onto breast or bottle.
• Sucks and swallows well.
• Frequently puts fingers, objects and pacifiers into their mouth for sucking.
• Starting soft, smooth solid foods.
• Moves smooth food from front to back of their mouth.

7-9 months:

• Tolerates soft, smooth solid foods well.
• Moves chewed food to the center of mouth before swallowing.
• After the introduction of lumpy solids, infants can coordinate all of their mouth movements, such as sucking, biting, and up and down munching.
• Cup drinking is introduced.

10-12 months:

• Clears food off a spoon with their upper lip.
• Tolerates mashed foods with more texture well.
• Feeding self with fingers.
• Makes sounds while eating with food in their mouth.

• Drinks liquids from an open cup independently with limited spillage.
• Swallows with lip closure.
• Has precise up and down tongue movement.
• Uses tongue to move food from side to side in their mouth.
• Eats table foods (easily chewed meats and soft vegetables).

• Eats table foods with mixed textures.
• Bites through a variety of food thicknesses.
• Drinks from an open cup.
• Drinks from a straw without dribbling.
• Chews and swallows majority of adult food.