0-1 month

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1-2 months

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2-3 months

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3-6 months

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6-9 months

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9-12 months

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Between birth and age one

Cognitive Milestones

• Follows moving object with eyes.
• Responds to voices
• Looks more at surroundings in a new place
• Looks longer at human faces than at objects
• Watches movements of own hands
• Recognizes differences among people; responds to strangers by crying or staring.
• Responds to and imitates facial expressions of others.
• Responds to very simple directions.
• Pats mirror image
• Shakes head "no-no"
• Stops activity when told "no-no"
• Uncovers hidden toys
• Imitates gestures and actions.
• Puts small objects in and out of container with intention.
• Builds tower of 2-3 blocks after demonstration

Motor Skills Milestones

Social-Emotional Milestones

• Establishes eye contact.
• Smiles spontaneously.
• Demands social attention
• Smiles at mirror image.
• Responds differently to strangers than to familiar people.
• Pays attention to own name.
• Responds to no.
• Cooperates in games.
• Extends toys to show others without parting.
• Copies simple actions of others.

Adaptive Milestones

• Finger feeds self.
• Some drooling present.
• Holds spoon.
• Holds own bottle.
• Drinks from cup held for him.
• Chews food with munching pattern.
• Holds cup with two hands; drinks with assistance.
• Holds out arms and legs while being dressed.
• Naps once or twice each day one-four hours.
• Sleeps twelve to fourteen hours at night. 

Speech & Language Milestones
Between birth and age one

• Recognizes name.
• Uses vocalizations instead of crying to express want
• Attends to new words.
• Imitates familiar words.
• Performs a routine activity upon verbal request (no visual cues)
• Looks at appropriate place when asked "where is the ball?"
• Says 2-3 words besides "mama" and "dada".
• Laughs at humour
• Vocalizes to music
• Participates in speech routine activities.
• Understands simple instructions.
• Recognizes words as symbols for objects: Car - points to garage, cat - meows.

Activities to Encourage your Child's Language

• Respond to your child's coos, gurgles, and babbling.
• Talk to your child as you care for him or her throughout the day.
• Read colorful books to your child every day.
• Tell nursery rhymes and sing songs.
• Teach your child the names of everyday items and familiar people.
• Take your child with you to new places and situations.
• Play simple games with your child such as "peek-a-boo".

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Between one and two

Cognitive Milestones

• Imitates actions and words of adults.
• Unwraps toys
• Can hold 3 blocks in one hand
• Follows 2 directions
• Understands and follows simple, familiar directions.
• Overcomes simple obstacles
• Responds to words or commands with appropriate action.
• Is able to match two similar objects.
• Looks at storybook pictures with an adult
• Names or points to familiar objects on request.
• Recognizes difference between you and me.
• Has very limited attention span.
• Can complete 3-piece inset puzzles
• Builds tower of 6-7 blocks.
• Accomplishes primary learning through own exploration.

Motor Skills Milestones

Social-Emotional Milestones

• Recognizes self in mirror or picture.
• Refers to self by name.
• Plays by self; initiates own play.
• Imitates adult behaviors in play e.g. doing housework.
• Helps put things away.
• Gives toys to familiar people upon request.
• Hugs and kisses parents.
• Desires control of others - orders, fights, resists
• Shows wide variety of emotions: fear, anger, sympathy, guilt, anxiety, joy.
• Interacts with peers using gestures.
• Likes rough-and-tumble play.
• Attempts to comfort others in distress.

Adaptive Milestones

• Uses spoon, spilling little.
• Drinks form cup with one hand, unassisted.
• Holds cup handle.
• Gives empty dish to adult.
• Chews food with rotary jaw movements.
• Distinguishes edible and inedible items.
• Unzips large zipper.
• Indicates toilet needs.
• Washes and dries hands partially.
• Removes shoes, socks, pants, and sweater.
• Replaces familiar objects where they belong.
• Sleeps ten-twelve hours at night.
• Naps once in the afternoon one-three hours.

Speech & Language Milestones

• Understands "no".
• Uses 20 to 40 words, including names.
• Uses new words regularly.
• Refers to self by name.
• Combines two words such as "daddy bye-bye".
• Waves good-bye and plays pat-a-cake.
• Makes the "sounds" of familiar animals.
• Uses words such as "more" to make wants known.
• Brings object from another room when asked.

Activities to Encourage your Child's Language

• Reward and encourage early efforts at saying new words.
• Talk to your baby about everything you're doing while you're with him.
• Talk simply, clearly, and slowly to your child.
• Talk about new situations before you go, while you're there, and again when you are home.
• Look at your child when he or she talks to you.
• Describe what your child is doing, feeling, hearing.
• Let your child listen to children's records and tapes.
• Praise your child's efforts to communicate.

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Between two and three

Cognitive Milestones

• Responds to simple directions.
• Points to 3-4 body parts.
• Plays with water and sand
• Identifies rooms in own house
• Identifies clothing items for different occasions
• Selects and looks at picture books, names pictured objects
• Identifies several objects within one picture.
• Matches and uses associated objects meaningfully.
• Stacks rings on peg in order of size.
• Recognized self in mirror, saying baby, or own name.
• Can talk briefly about what he/she is doing; imitates adult actions.
• Has limited attention span; learning is through exploration and adult direction.
• Is beginning to understand functional concepts of familiar objects and part/whole concepts.
• Matches 3-4 colors, knows big and little.

Motor Skills Milestones

Social-Emotional Milestones

• Holds parents hands outdoors.
• Strongly possessive of loved ones.
• Displays shyness with strangers.
• Plays near other children, watches them.
• Throws frustration tantrums.
• Takes pride in clothing.
• Defends own possessions.
• Begins to play house or with cars, dolls.
• Symbolically uses objects, self in play.
• Participates in simple group activity.
• Knows gender identity.
• Begins to obey rules.

Adaptive Milestones

• Uses spoon, little spilling.
• Gets drink form fountain or faucet independently.
• Helps carry and put away things.
• Opens door by turning handle.
• Puts on shirt or dress unassisted.
• Takes off clothes with help on buttons.
• Puts on shoes.
• Squats, holds self and verbalizes toilet needs.
• Washes and dries hands.

Speech & Language Milestones
 

• Identifies body parts.
• Gives full name.
• Holds up fingers to tell age.
• Carries on 'conversation' with self and dolls.
• Asks "what's that?" And "where's my?"
• Uses 2-word negative phrases such as "no want".
• Forms some plurals by adding "s"; book, books.
• Has a 450 word vocabulary.
• Combines nouns and verbs "mummy come".
• Understands simple time concepts: "last night", "tomorrow".
• Refers to self as "me" rather than by name.
• Tries to get adult attention: "watch me".
• Likes to hear same story repeated.
• May say "no" when means "yes".
• Talks to other children as well as adults.
• Solves problems by talking instead of hitting or crying.
• Answers "where" questions.
• Names common pictures and things.
• Uses short sentences like "me want more" or "me want biscuit".

Activities to Encourage your Child's Language

• Repeat new words over and over.
• Help your child listen and follow instructions by playing games: "pick up the ball," "Touch Daddy's s nose".
• Take your child on trips and talk about what you see before, during and after the trip.
• Let your child tell you answers to simple questions.
• Read books every day, perhaps as part of the bedtime routine.
• Listen attentively as your child talks to you.
• Describe what you are doing, planning, thinking.
• Have the child deliver simple messages for you (Mommy needs you, Daddy).
• Carry on conversations with the child, preferably when the two of you have some quiet time together.
• Ask questions to get your child to think and talk.
• Show the child you understand what he or she says by answering, smiling, and nodding your head.
• Expand what the; child says. If he or she says, "more juice", You say, "Priya wants more juice.".

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Between three and four

Cognitive Milestones

• Recognizes and matches six colors.
• Copies circle.
• Understands common prepositions
• Intentionally stacks blocks or rings in order of size.
• Builds tower of more than 10 blocks
• Draws somewhat recognizable picture that is meaningful to child if not to adult; names and briefly explains picture.
• Asks questions for information: why and how questions requiring simple answers.
• Knows own age.
• Knows own name.
• Has short attention span; learns through observing and imitating adults and by adult instruction and explanation; is very easily distracted.
• Has increased understanding of concepts of the functions and grouping of objects and part/whole.
• Begins to be aware of past and present.

Motor Skills Milestones

Social-Emotional Milestones

• Takes pride in own achievements; resists help.
• Likes to be independent; runs ahead of parents while outdoors.
• Separates easily from mother in familiar setting.
• Tends to be demanding and dictatorial.
• Talks with a loud urgent voice.
• Enjoys meeting more people.
• Verbally scolds when annoyed or angry.
• Joins in play with other children; begins to interact.
• Sings along and makes sequential moves to music.
• Shares toys; takes turns with assistance.
• Begins dramatic play, acting out whole scenes.

Adaptive Milestones

• Pours well form small pitcher.
• Spreads soft butter with knife.
• Undresses completely without help.
• Buttons and unbuttons large buttons.
• Washes hands independently.
• Blows nose when reminded.
• Uses toilet independently. 

Speech & Language Milestones  

• Uses verb forms.
• Uses 'I', 'you'.
• Consistent use of 's' to express plural.
• Uses 'this', 'that'.
• Names at least one color.
• Counts to five.
• Verbalizes recent experiences.
• Can tell a story.
• Understands 'what', 'where'
• Uses 'what', 'where' and occasionally 'when', 'who'.
• Has a sentence length of 4-5 words.
• Has a vocabulary of nearly 1000 words.
• Understands "yesterday," "summer", "lunchtime", "tonight", "little-big".
• Begins to obey requests like "put the block under the chair".
• Knows his or her last name, name of street on which he/she lives and several nursery rhymes.

Activities to Encourage your Child's Language

• Talk about how objects are the same or different.
• Help your child to tell stories using books and pictures.
• Let your child play with other children.
• Read longer stories to your child.
• Pay attention to your child when he's talking.
• Talk about places you've been or will be going.

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Between four and five

Cognitive Milestones

• Plays with words: creates own rhyming words, says or makes up words having similar sounds.
• Points and names four to six colors.
• Matches pictures of familiar objects.
• Draws a person with two to six recognizable parts, such as head, arms, and legs; can name or match drawn parts to own body.
• Draws, names, and describes recognizable pictures.
• Rote counts to five, imitating adult.
• Knows own street and town.
• Has more extended attention span; learns through observing and listening to adults, as well as through exploration; is easily distracted.
• Has increased understanding of concepts of function, time, part/whole relationships; function or use of objects may be stated in addition to names of objects.
• Time concepts are expanding; can talk about yesterday or last week, about today, and about what will happen tomorrow.

Social-Emotional Milestones

• Plays and interacts with other children.
• Dramatic play is closer to reality, with attention paid to detail, time, and space.
• Plays dress-up.
• Shows interest in exploring sex differences.

Adaptive Milestones

• Cuts easy foods with a knife.
• Laces shoes.
• Unbuckles or buckles belt or shoes.
• Recognizes right shoe from left.

Speech & Language Milestones

• Has sentence length of 4-5 words.
• Uses past tense correctly.
• Comprehends the concept of 'better than'.
• Consistent use of 'a', 'the'.
• Uses size and colour adjectives in sentence form.
• Has a vocabulary of nearly 1500 words.
• Points to colors red, blue, yellow and green.
• Identifies triangles, circles and squares.
• Understands "In the morning", "next", "noontime".
• Can speak of imaginary conditions such as "I hope".
• Asks many questions, asks "who?" and "why?"

• Help your child sort objects and things (ex. things you eat, animals. . ).
• Teach your child how to use the telephone.
• Let your child help you plan activities such as what you will make for Thanksgiving dinner.
• Continue talking with him about his interests.
• Read longer stories to him.
• Let her tell and make up stories for you.
• Show your pleasure when she comes to talk with you.

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Between five and six

Cognitive Milestones

• Retells story from picture book with reasonable accuracy.
• Names some letters and numerals.
• Rote counts to ten.
• Sorts objects by single characteristics.
• Is beginning to use accurately time concepts of tomorrow and yesterday.
• Uses classroom tools meaningfully and purposefully.
• Begins to relate clock time to daily schedule.
• Attention span increases noticeably; learns through adult instruction; when interested, can ignore distractions.
• Concepts of function increase as well as understanding of why things happen; time concepts are expanding into an understanding of the future in terms of major events.

Social-Emotional Milestones

• Chooses own friends.
• Plays simple table games.
• Plays competitive games.
• Engages in cooperative play with other children involving group decisions, role assignments, and fair play.

Adaptive Milestones

• Dresses self completely.
• Ties bow on shoe lace.
• Brushes teeth independently.
• Bathes self with some supervision.
• Crosses streets safely.

Speech & Language Milestones

• Has a sentence length of 5-6 words.
• Has a vocabulary of around 2000 words.
• Defines objects by their use (you eat with a fork) and can tell what objects are made of.
• Knows spatial relations like "on top", "behind", "far" and "near".
• Knows her address.
• Identifies a penny, nickel and dime.
• Knows common opposites like "big/little".
• Understands "same" and "different".
• Counts ten objects.
• Asks questions for information.
• Distinguished left and right hand in herself.
• Uses all types of sentences, for example "let's go to the store after we eat".

• Praise your child when she talks about her feelings, thoughts, hopes and fears.
• Comment on what you did or how you think your child feels.
• Sing songs, rhymes with your child.
• Continue to read longer stories.
• Talk with him as you would an adult.
• Look at family photos and talk to him about your family history.
• Listen to her when she talks to you.

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