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3 Months- Motor
lift head and chest when lying on his stomach
turn head
follow a moving object or person with his eyes
often hold hands open or loosely fisted
grasp objects
wiggle and kick with arms and legs -
3 months - sensory and thinking
turn head toward bright colors and lights
turn toward the sound of a human voice
recognize bottle or breast
respond to your shaking a rattle or bell -
3 months - Language and social skills
make cooing, gurgling sounds
smile when smiled at
communicate hunger, fear, discomfort (through crying or facial expression)
usually quiet down at the sound of a soothing voice or when held
anticipate being lifted
react to "peek-a-boo" games -
6 months - Motor
hold head steady when sitting with your help
reach for and grasp objects
play with his toes
help hold the bottle during feeding
explore by mouthing and banging objects
move toys from one hand to another
shake a rattle
pull up to a sitting position on her own if you grasp her hands
sit with only a little support
sit in a high chair
roll over
bounce when held in a standing position -
6 months - sensory and thinking
open his mouth for the spoon
imitate familiar actions you perform -
6 months - Language and social
babble, making almost sing-song sounds
know familiar faces
laugh and squeal with delight
scream if annoyed
smile at herself in a mirror -
12 months - Motor
drink from a cup with help
feed herself finger food like raisins or bread crumbs
grasp small objects by using her thumb and index or forefinger
use his first finger to poke or point
put small blocks in and take them out of a container
knock two blocks together
sit well without support
crawl on hands and knees
pull himself to stand or take steps holding onto furniture
stand alone momentarily
walk with one hand held
cooperate with dressing by offering a foot or an arm -
12 months - Sensory and thinking
copy sounds and actions you make
respond to music with body motion
try to accomplish simple goals (seeing and then crawling to a toy)
look for an object she watched fall out of sight (such as a spoon that falls under the table) -
12 months - Language and social
babble, but it sometimes "sounds like" talking
say his first word
recognize family members' names
try to "talk" with you
respond to another's distress by showing distress or crying
show affection to familiar adults
show mild to severe anxiety at separation from parent
show apprehension about strangers
raise her arms when she wants to be picked up
understand simple commands -
18 months - motor
like to pull, push, and dump things
pull off hat, socks, and mittens
turn pages in a book
stack 2 blocks
carry a stuffed animal or doll
scribble with crayons
walk without help
run stiffly, with eyes on the ground -
18 months - Sensory and learning
identify an object in a picture book
laugh at silly actions (as in wearing a bowl as a hat)
look for objects that are out of sight
put a round lid on a round pot
follow simple 1-step directions
solve problems by trial and error -
18 months - Language and social
say 8-10 words you can understand
look at a person who is talking to him
ask specifically for her mother or father
use "hi," "bye," and "please," with reminders
protest when frustrated
ask for something by pointing or by using one word
direct another's attention to an object or action
become anxious when separated from parent(s)
seek attention
bring toys to share with parentact out a familiar activity in play (as in pretending to take a bath)
play alone on the floor with toys
compete with other -
2 years - Motor Skills
drink from a straw
feed himself with a spoon
help in washing hands
put arms in sleeves with helpbuild a tower of 3-4 blocks
toss or roll a large ball
open cabinets, drawers, boxes
operate a mechanical toy
bend over to pick up a toy and not fall
walk up steps with help
take steps backward -
2 years - sensory and thinking skills
like to take things apart
explore surroundings
point to 5-6 parts of a doll when asked -
2 years - Language and Social Skills
have a vocabulary of several hundred words
use 2-3 word sentences
say names of toys
ask for information about an object (asks, "Shoe?" while pointing to shoe box)
hum or try to sing
listen to short rhymes
like to imitate parents
sometimes get angry and have temper tantrums
act shy around strangers
comfort a distressed friend or parent
take turns in play with other children
treat a doll or stuffed animal as though it were alive
apply pretend action to others (as in pretending to feed a doll)
show -
3 to 4 year olds - Movement
Hops and stands on one foot up to five seconds
Goes upstairs and downstairs without support
Kicks ball forward
Throws ball overhand
Catches bounced ball most of the time
Moves forward and backward with agility -
3 to 4 year olds - Hand and Finger Skills
Copies square shapes
Draws a person with two to four body parts
Uses scissors
Draws circles and squares
Begins to copy some capital letters -
3 to 4 year olds - Language
Understands the concepts of “same” and “different”
Has mastered some basic rules of grammar
Speaks in sentences of five to six words
Speaks clearly enough for strangers to understand
Tells stories -
3 to 4 year olds - Cognitive Skills
Correctly names some colors
Understands the concept of counting and may know a few numbers
Approaches problems from a single point of view
Begins to have a clearer sense of time
Follows three-part commands
Recalls parts of a story
Understands the concept of same/different
Engages in fantasy play -
3 to 4 year olds - Social and Emotional
Interested in new experiences
Cooperates with other children
Plays “Mom” or “Dad”
Increasingly inventive in fantasy play
Dresses and undresses
Negotiates solutions to conflicts
More independent
Imagines that many unfamiliar images may be “monsters”
Views self as a whole person involving body, mind, and feelings
Often cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality -
4 to 5 year olds - Movement
Stands on one foot for ten seconds or longer
Hops, somersaults
Swings, climbs
May be able to skip -
4 to 5 year olds - Hand and Finger Skills
Copies triangle and other geometric patterns
Draws person with body
Prints some letters
Dresses and undresses without assistance
Uses fork, spoon, and (sometimes) a table knife
Usually cares for own toilet needs -
4 to 5 year olds - Language Skills
Recalls part of a story
Speaks sentences of more than five words
Uses future tense
Tells longer stories
Says name and address -
4 to 5 year olds - Cognitive Skills
Can count ten or more objects
Correctly names at least four colors
Better understands the concept of time
Knows about things used every day in the home (money, food, appliances) -
4 to 5 year olds - Social and Emotional
Wants to please friends
Wants to be like her friends
More likely to agree to rules
Likes to sing, dance, and act
Shows more independence and may even visit a next-door neighbor by herself
Aware of sexuality
Able to distinguish fantasy from reality
Sometimes demanding, sometimes eagerly cooperative -
3 to 6 years - Physical
Is able to dress and undress selfHas refined coordination and is learning many new skillsIs very active and likes to do things like climb, hop, skip and do stunts"At the start of early childhood, the brain has attained about 50% of itsadult weight. By the time children are 6, it has grown to 90% of its full weight (Cole et al, 2005; Huttenlocher, 1994) -
3 to 6 years - Emotional and Social
Develops capacity to share and take turnsPlays cooperatively with peersIs developing some independence and self-relianceIs developing ethnic and gender identitiesLearning to distinguish between reality and fantasyLearning to make connections and distinctions between feelings, thoughtsand actions -
3 to 6 year olds - Cognitive
Ability to understand language usually develops ahead of their speechBy age 6, vocabulary will have increased to between 8,000 and 14,000 words but it is important to remember that children in this age group often repeat words without fully understanding their meaning They have learned the use of most prepositions (up/down, ahead/behind, beside) and some basic possessive pronouns (mine, his, ours), and have started to master adjectives In the period between 2 and 6 years of age, children
