Milestones - Smilestones | A Centre for Child Development and Learning

Milestones

Child Growth

Key Milestones

Children generally go through a series of milestones as they grow and develop. While the timing may vary, here are some common milestones that children typically reach:

Skills	Signs
Social and emotional	Smiles at people
Language/communication	Make cooing and gurgling sounds Turns head toward sounds Baby raising head and chest when lying on stomach
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)	Pays attention to faces Slowly follows things with eyes
Motor	Can hold head up for a few seconds Makes smoother movements with arms and legs

Skills	Signs
Social and emotional	Start smiling on seeing faces Enjoying play with people and might cry when playing stops Copies facial expressions, like smiling or frowning
Language/communication	Babbles with expression and copies sounds he hears Cries in different ways to show hunger, pain, or being tired
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)	Responds to affection Eye-hand coordination (uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it) Follows moving things with eyes from side to side Watches faces closely Recognizes familiar people and things at a distance
Movement/Physical Development	Steady head control – able to turn head in all directions Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface Reaches and holds a toy with one hand Can hold a toy and shake it and swing at dangling toys Keeps hands in mouth

Skills	Signs
Social and emotional	Recognizes familiar persons and strangers Likes to play with others, especially parents Reacts to others' emotions and often seems happy Enjoys own face in a mirror
Language/communication	Reacts to sounds by making sounds Starts babbling (“ah,” “eh,” “oh”) and likes taking turns with parent while making sounds Responds to own name Shows joy and displeasure by making sounds Starts jabbering with “m,” “b”
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)	Starts looking at nearby things Brings things to mouth Shows curiosity about things and tries to reach out for them Starts transferring objects from one hand to the other
Movement/Physical Development	Rolls over in both directions (front to back, back to front) Begins to sit with self-support (tripod sitting) When made to stand, supports weight on legs and might bounce Rocks back and forth, sometimes crawling backward before moving forward

Skills	Signs
Social and emotional	Gets afraid on seeing strangers May be clingy with familiar adults Has favorite toys
Language/communication	Understands the meaning of the word “no” Starts making different sounds like “mamamama” and “bababababa” Copies sounds and gestures of others Uses fingers to point at things of interest
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)	Watches things when they fall or move Looks for things when you hide them Plays peek-a-boo Transfers things smoothly from one hand to the other Pincer grasp – picks up small things by using only thumb and index finger
Movement/Physical Development	Stands by holding onto furniture Able to get into a sitting position on own Sits without support Pulls to stand Crawls

Skills	Signs
Social and emotional	May get nervous with strangers Cries when mom or dad leaves Has favorite things/people Hands you a book when he wants to hear a story Repeats sounds or actions to get attention Helps you with dressing by putting out arm or leg Plays games like “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake”
Language/communication	Understands and reacts to simple requests or commands Says bye-bye by waving hands and shakes head “no” if the baby doesn’t want Makes sounds with changes in tone (sounds more like speech) Says “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!” Tries to imitate words
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)	Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing Finds hidden things easily Looks at the right picture or thing when it’s named Copies gestures Starts using things correctly; for example, drinks from a cup, brushes hair Bangs two things together Puts inside or takes out things from a container Starts using index (pointer) finger to indicate interest Follows simple directions like “bring the key”
Movement/Physical Development	Gets to a sitting position without help Able to pull up to stand Starts walking by holding on to furniture (“cruising”) Some may take a few steps without holding on, while others may stand alone

Skills	Signs
Social and emotional	Likes to hand things to others as play May have temper tantrums May not go to new persons and may cling to caregivers in new situations Plays simple pretend, such as feeding a doll Points to show others something interesting Explores things on its own but with parent close by
Language/communication	Says several single words, may be up to 10 words Says and shakes head “no” Points to show someone what he wants
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)	Knows what ordinary things are for; for example, telephone, brush, spoon Points to get the attention of others Shows interest in a doll or stuffed animal by pretending to feed Points to one body part Scribbles on his own Can follow 1-step verbal commands without any gestures; for example, sits when you say “sit down”
Movement/Physical Development	Walks alone, tries running May walk up steps Pulls toys while walking Can help undress herself Able to use cup and spoon without help

Skills	Signs
Social and emotional	Copies others' activities Gets excited on seeing children Shows more and more independence Shows defiant behavior (doing just opposite of given instructions) Plays mainly beside other children, but willing to include other children
Language/communication	Knows names of familiar people and body parts Points to things or pictures when they are named Points to things in a book Repeats words overheard in conversation May be able to use 40 – 100 words Able to talk in sentences with 2 to 4 words Follows simple instructions
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)	Finds things even when hidden under two or three covers Tries to sort shapes and colors Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books when we read for them Plays simple make-believe games Builds towers of 4 or more blocks Might use one hand more than the other Follows two-step instructions such as “Pick up the glass and keep it on the table” Names items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog
Movement/Physical Development	Stands on tiptoe Starts kicking a ball Begins to run Climbs onto and down from furniture without help Walks up and down stairs by holding onto the rails on the staircase Throws ball overhand but not overhead Makes or copies straight lines and circles

Skills	Signs
Social and emotional	Waits for his turn in games Shows concern for a crying friend Understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers” Shows a variety of emotions Separates easily from mom and dad May get upset if routine is changed Dresses and undresses self
Language/communication	Follows instructions with 2 or 3 steps Can name most familiar things Understands prepositions like “in,” “on,” and “under” Able to tell first name, age, and sex Names a friend Says words like “I,” “me,” “we,” and “you” and some plurals (pencils, chocolates) Talks well enough for strangers to understand most of the time Carries on a simple conversation using 2 to 3 sentences
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)	Able to use toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts Plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people Able to do puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces Understands the meaning of “two” Able to draw a circle Turns book pages one at a time Builds towers of more than 6 blocks Screws and unscrews jar lids or turns door handles
Movement/Physical Development	Runs easily and climbs well Able to ride a tricycle Walks up and down stairs, one foot on each step

Skills	Signs
Social and emotional	Enjoys doing new things Enjoys and gets creative with make-believe play Wants to play with other children and cooperates with them Often can’t tell what’s real and what’s make-believe Able to convey what she likes and what she is interested in
Language/communication	Knows some basic rules of grammar, like using “he” and “she” Sings a song or says a poem from memory, such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or something in their own mother tongue Tells stories clearly Can say first and last name
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)	Names some colors and some numbers Understands the idea of counting Starts to understand time Remembers parts of a story Draws a person with 2 to 4 body parts Uses scissors Starts to copy some capital letters and squares or able to draw a plus sign Plays board or card games
Movement/Physical Development	Hops and stands on one foot up to 2 seconds Catches a bounced ball most of the time Pours, cuts with supervision, and mashes own food

Skills	Signs
Social and emotional	Wants to please friends and tries to be like friends More likely to agree with rules Likes to sing, dance, act, and participate in other activities Can tell what’s real and what’s make-believe Shows more independence (e.g., visiting a neighbor’s house for playing)
Language/communication	Speaks very clearly Tells a simple story using full sentences Uses future tense; for example, “Brother will be here from school in the evening” Says name and address
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)	Counts 10 or more things Draws a person with at least 6 body parts Starts writing a few letters or numbers Copies a triangle and other geometric shapes Understands the usage of things in daily life like money and food
Motor/Movement/Physical Development	Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer Hops; may be able to skip Uses spoons or knives without any difficulty Can use the toilet on her own Swings and climbs