what to expect when
children progress at their own pace
Children develop many of their physical, social, emotional, and cognitive skills during their early years. There are some milestones associated with typical growing cycles for children birth to five years old. Keep in mind that children progress at their own pace and these milestones are meant to be a general guide. If you have concerns about your child’s abilities, working with your pediatrician or family support worker can help you connect to helpful resources.
birth to 1 year
- Cries to express needs – parent bonding begins
- Begins social smiling
- Recognizes parent’s voice
- Memory is established
- Turns head to voice, smiles in response to smiles, kicks and waves
- Begins babbling – strings sounds together (ah, eh, oh)
- Genuinely laughs, loves attention
- Gestures to communicate – pushing things away, squirming
- Likes to play
- Recognizes his or her name
- Discovers the fingers and toes
- Screams to get their own way
- Crawls, sits up without support
- Uses spoon to feed themselves
- Solves simple problems – i.e. knocking over box to a get a toy
- Can stand on their own
by year 1
- Has grown by 10 to 12 inches and the brain has doubled in size
- Fears the unfamiliar – people, places, things
- Beginning a sense of separate self
- Begins trial and error experimentation
- Takes first steps
- Can move hands in rotation to turn knobs
- Plays drop and retrieve games; pat-a-cake
- Explores with hands and fingers
- Smiles and vocalizes at image in mirror
- Says simple words like mama or dada
- Responds to simple spoken requests
- Has intent behind actions
by 2 years
- Completely self centered, wants to be noticed, likes an audience
- VERY assertive, insists on own way
- Relates better to adults than children
- Talks mostly to self
- Mimics adult behavior, repeats words they say
- Understands verbal requests
- Answers “what’s that?”; understands simple phrases; uses 5 – 50 words
- Short attention span; gives up easily but moves on quickly to new things
- Loves opposites – up/down, yes/no
- imitates simple tasks
- Bladder/bowel control begins
- Feeds self; grasps cup with two hands
- Cuts last teeth
- Likes conclusions – shuts doors, closes books
- Likes to push-pull objects; carry and dump is a favorite activity
- Walks with growing confidence, can find it hard to turn corners
by 3 years
- Highly imitative of adults
- Wants to please adults
- Easily prompted or redirected
- Uses toilet alone; achieves bladder control
- Loses baby fat
- Begins to share, take turns and wait
- Says “me-too” frequently
- Sympathizes with others
- Often hindered, frustrated or jealous
- Talkative with or without listener
- Can listen to learn
- Intrigued by whispering
- Swings arms when walking
- Jumps up and down easily
- Can balance on one foot
- Alert, excited and curious; asks “why?” constantly
- Enjoys guessing games and riddles
- Has a lively imagination
- Often over generalizes and has a short attention span
- Shows affection to friends and adults
- Moves and talks at same time
- Substitutes letters in speech – “w” for “r”; uses 300 to 1000 words
- Rides a tricycle
- Puts on and takes off clothes with help; unbuttons buttons
- Often colors pages one color
- Can’t combine two activities
- Names and matches simple colors
- Has number concepts of one and two
by 4 years
- Growing body control, can hop, stand on one foot
- Rapid mood changes
- Easily over-stimulated and excitable
- Shows off, is cocky and noisy
- Often resistant, testing limits
- Meal time can be a challenge - eating only specific food items or nothing at all and this can change daily
- Hits, grabs, can be destructive
- Bossy, boastful, belligerent, assertive, or argumentative
- Impatient in large groups
- Great talker, questioner; likes words
- Able to talk to resolve conflicts
- Responds to verbal directions; asks “when?”, “why?”, “how?”
- Hops, jumps, and skips
- Throws large ball, kicks accurately
- Jumps over objects; turns somersaults
- Laces shoes; dresses self
- Has sureness and control in finger activities
- Can work toward a goal
- Has extended attention span; can do two things at once
- Has accurate sense of time
- Begins to generalize, often faulty
- Calls people names
- Has imaginary playmates
- Recognizes several printed words
- Copies a cross, square; can draw a stick figure
- Holds paint brush in adult manner, pencil in fisted grip
by 5 years
- Uses big words and complete sentences
- Can define simple words
- Spells out simple words
- Enjoys group play and competitive games
- Aware of rules, defines them for others
- Gets involved with group decisions
- Insists on fair play
- Insists “I already know that!”
- Asks questions to learn answers
- Thinks out loud
- May get silly or wild
- Enjoys pointless riddles and jokes
- Chooses own friends
- Draws a recognizable person
- Cuts on line with scissors
- Begins to color within the lines
- Completely coordinated, runs lightly on toes
- Has tremendous physical drive
- Sometimes roughhouses or fights
- Attention span is noticeably increased
- Makes a plan, follows it, centers on task
- Curious about everything, wants to know how or why constantly
- Understands tomorrow and yesterday
- Knows what a calendar is used for
- Knows name, address, town
- Makes up songs; enjoys dictating stories
- Answers the telephone
- Uses 1500 words
- Likes adult companionship
- Accepts, respects authority; asks permission
What if I am worried about my child?
or What if my child needs more help?
When you’re concerned that your child is showing signs of delayed progress, it can feel overwhelming, even frightening. But you know your child and you’re doing the right thing by finding out if anything’s wrong. An assessment looks at the facts and combines parental and medical know-how to determine your child’s situation. The earlier a delay is identified, the sooner your child can get the support they need to begin overcoming those challenges.