Copies adult actions such as drinking from a cup, talking on the phone
Responds to name
Likes to watch self in mirror
Expresses fear or anxiety toward strangers
Wants caregivers or parent to be in constant sight
Offers toys or objects to others, but expects them to be returned
May become attached to a favorite toy or blanket
Pushes away something he or she does not want
By 12 to 18 months
Motor Development
Crawls well
Stands alone, sits down
Gestures or points to indicate wants
Likes to push, pull, and dump things
Pulls off hat, socks, and mittens
Turns pages in a book
Stacks 2 blocks
Likes to poke, twist, and squeeze
Enjoys flushing toilets and closing doors
Enjoys carrying small objects while walking, often one in each hand
Holds crayon and scribbles, but with little control
Waves bye-bye and claps hands
Walks without help
Enjoys holding spoon when eating, but experiences difficulty in getting spoon into mouth
Rolls a ball to adult on request
Speech, Language, and Mental Development
Says 8 to 20 words you can understand
Looks at person talking to him or her
Says “Hi” or “Bye” if reminded
Uses expressions like “Uh-oh”
Asks for something by pointing or using one word
Identifies object in a book
Plays peek-a-boo
Looks for objects that are hidden or out of sight
Understands and follows simple one-step directions
Likes to take things apart
Social and Emotional Development
Becomes upset when separated from parent
Likes to hand objects to others
Plays alone on floor with toys
Recognizes self in mirror or pictures
Enjoys being held and read to
Imitates others especially by coughing, sneezing, or making animal sounds
Enjoys an audience and applause
By 18 to 24 Months
Motor Development
Walks well
Likes to run, but can’t always stop and turn well
Drinks from a straw
Feeds self with a spoon
Helps wash hands
Stacks 4 to 6 blocks
Tosses or rolls a large ball
Open cabinets, drawers, and boxes
Bends over to pick up toy without falling
Walks up steps with help
Takes steps backward
Enjoys sitting on and moving small-wheeled riding toys
Begins to gain some control of bowels and bladder; complete control may not be achieved until around age 3 (boys often do not complete toilet training until age 3 ½)
Speech, Language and Mental Development
Has a vocabulary between fifty and one hundred words
Uses two to three word sentences
Echoes single words that are spoken by someone else
Talks to self and “jabbers” expressively
Has “favorite” toys
Likes to choose between two objects
Hums or tries to sing
Listens to short rhymes or finger plays
Points to eyes, ears, or nose when asked
Uses the words “Please” and “Thank you” if prompted
Makes animal sounds such as “moo”
Social and Emotional Development
Likes to imitate others
Begins to show signs of independence; says “no”
Has difficulty sharing
Very possessive
Finds it difficult to wait and wants it right now!
Gets angry sometimes and has temper tantrums
Acts shy around strangers
Comforts a distressed friend or parent
Refers to self by name
Uses the words “me” and “mine”
Enjoys looking at picture books
Tries to do many things alone
Enjoys adult attention
Enjoys pretending (wearing hats, talking on phone)
Enjoys exploring; gets into everything, and requires constant supervision
Generally unable to remember rules
Often gets physically aggressive when frustrated; slaps, hits, etc
Shows affection by returning a hug or kiss
May become attached to a toy or blanket
2 Years Old
Motor Development
Walks up and down stairs by holding onto railing
Feeds self with spoon
Experiments by touching, smelling and tasting
Likes to push, pull, fill and dump
Can turn pages of a book
Stacks 2 to 4 objects
Scribbles with crayons or markers
Walks without help
Walks backwards
Tosses or rolls a large ball
Stoops or squats
Opens cabinets, drawers
Can bend over to pick up toy without falling
Speech, Language, and Mental Development
Enjoys simple stories, rhymes and songs
Uses 2 to 3 word sentences, such as “I do it!”
Says names of toys
Hums or tries to sing
Enjoys looking at books
Points to eyes, ears, or nose when asked
Repeats words
Understand and uses pronouns
3 Years Old
Motor Development
Develops a taller, thinner, adult-like appearance
Develops a full set of baby teeth
Sleeps 10 to 12 hours at night
Sleeps through most nights without wetting the bed (occasional accidents are still quite common)
Uses the toilet with some help (many boys may not be ready for toilet learning until 3 ½)
Puts on shoes (but cannot tie laces)
Dresses self with some help (buttons, snaps, zippers)
Feeds self (with some spilling)
Tries to catch a large ball
Throws a ball overhead
Kicks a ball forward
Hops on 1 foot
Walks short distance on tip toe
Climbs up and down a small slide by self
Pedals a tricycle
Speech, Language, and Mental Development
75 to 80 percent is understandable; talks in complete sentences of 3 to 5 words: “Mommy is drinking juice.” “There’s a big dog.”
Stumbles over words sometimes; usually not a sign of stuttering
Listens attentively to short stories; likes familiar stories told without any changes in words
Repeats words and sounds
Enjoys listening to stories and repeating simple rhymes
Able to tell simple stories from pictures or books
Enjoys singing and can carry and simple tune
Understands “now,” “soon,” and “later”
Asks who, what, where, and why questions
Stacks 5 to 7 blocks
Enjoys playing with clay or play dough (pounds, rolls, and squeezes it)
Puts together a 6 piece puzzle
Draws a circle and square
Recognizes everyday sounds
Matches objects and pictures
Identifies common colors
Can count 2 to 3 objects
Can answer the question, “Are you a boy or a girl?”
4 Years Old
Motor Development
Uses a spoon, fork, and dinner knife skillfully
Needs 10 to 12 hours sleep each night
Dresses self without much help
Walks a straight line
Hops on 1 foot
Pedals and steers a tricycle skillfully
Jumps over objects 5 to 6 inches high
Runs, jumps, hops, skips around obstacles with ease
Stacks 10 or more blocks
Forms shapes and objects out of clay or play dough
Threads small beads on a string
Catches, bounces, and throws a ball easily
Speech, Language, and Mental Development
Can place objects in a line from largest to smallest
Can recognize some letters if taught and may be able to print name
Recognizes familiar words in simple books or signs (STOP sign)
Understands the concepts of tallest, biggest, same, more, on, in, under, and above
Counts 1 to 7 objects out loud
Understands order of daily routines (breakfast before lunch, lunch before dinner, dinner before bedtime)
Speaks fairly complex sentences: “The baby ate the cookie before I could put it on the table.”
Enjoys singing simple songs, rhymes, and nonsense words
Adapts language to listener’s level of understanding. To baby sister: “Daddy go bye bye.” To Mother: “Daddy went to the store to buy food.”
Learns name, address, and phone number if taught
Asks and answers who, what , when, why, where questions
Continues 1 activity for 10 to 15 minutes
Names 6 to 8 colors and 3 shapes
Follows two unrelated directions: “Put your milk on the table and get your coat on.”
5 Year Olds
Motor Development
Able to dress self with little assistance
Learns to skip
Throws ball overhead
Catches bounced balls
Rides a tricycle skillfully, may show interest in riding a bicycle with training wheels
Uses a fork and knife well
Cuts on a line with scissors
Hand dominance is established
Jumps over low objects
Speech, Language, and Mental Development
Knows basic colors like red, yellow, blue, green, orange
Able to memorize address and phone number
Understands that stories have a beginning, middle, and end
Enjoys telling his or her own stories
Understands that books are read from left to right, top to bottom
Enjoys riddles and jokes
Draws pictures that represent animals, people, and objects
Enjoys tracing or copying letters
Sorts objects by size
Identifies some letters of the alphabet and a few numbers
Understands more, less, and the same
Counts up to 10 objects
Understands before and after, above and below (position words)
Is project-minded; plans building, play scenarios, and drawings