Development Chart

Goals in development

Does your child have a healthy start in their development?

By 6-months-old

  • Gross motor
    • Props on forearms on belly
    • Rolls from back to front and front to back in each direction
    • Sits while propping through arms
  • Fine motor
    • Hands held predominately open
    • Reaches and grasps items
    • Transfers objects hand to mouth and then hand to hand
  • Self-Help (Mallory)
    • Briefly holds onto breast or bottle
    • Feeds self a cracker and gums/mouths pureed foods
  • Problem-Solving
    • Show and increasing fascination with their reflections
    • Removes cloth on face
    • Bangs and shakes toys
  • Social/Emotional
    • Express and respond to the emotions of others
    • Enjoy playful interactions with caregivers and peers
    • Recognize familiar faces and show that they can distinguish between those they know and those they don’t
  • Receptive & Expressive Language
    • Regards speaker/alerts to sound + voice
    • Vocalizes when talked to and while alone
    • Stops crying to soothing voice, localizes familiar voice

By 12-months-old

  • Gross motor
    • Crawls on hands and knees
    • Pulls to stand at a surface and cruises around it
    • Takes steps with 1 hand held and beginning to take independent steps
  • Fine motor
    • Bangs toys together
    • Isolates index finger and pokes
    • Holds crayon with emerging grasp and scribbles
  • Self-Help
    • Finger feeds par of meal and bites or chews soft cookie
    • Cooperates with dressing
  • Problem-Solving
    • Locate an object when asked
    • Imitate gestures and sounds
    • Follow simple directions
  • Social/Emotional
    • Experience separation anxiety
    • Points to get desired object
    • Shows objects to parent to share interest
  • Receptive & Expressive Language
    • Imitates a variety of sounds
    • Responds to simple commands
    • Says first word/s

By 18-months-old

  • Gross motor
    • Walks independently while carrying toys
    • Crawls up and down stairs
    • Throws a ball while maintaining balance in standing
  • Fine motor
    • Stacks 4 cubes in tower
    • Releases pellet into a bottle
  • Self-Help
    • Drinks from cup and uses spoon with some spilling
    • Removes socks and shoes
    • Fusses to be changed
  • Problem-Solving
    • Matches pairs of objects
    • Can solve simple puzzles
    • Finds toy when hidden under objects
  • Social/Emotional
    • Engages in pretend play with other people (e.g., birthday party)
    • Shows possessiveness for objects
    • Periodically visually relocates caregiver for comfort
  • Receptive & Expressive Language
    • Points to body parts when named
    • Uses 10-25 words regularly
    • Gestures regularly to express interest in objects

By 2-years-old

  • Gross motor
    • Walks up and down stairs using a rail or with a hand held (usually both feet on each step)
    • Squats to pick up toys and returns to standing without dropping to sit
    • Kicks a ball while maintaining balance in standing
  • Fine motor
    • Closes box with lid
    • Imitates drawn vertical and horizontal lines and circle
    • Uses a pincer grasp (thumb to index finger) to collect cheerio
  • Self-Help
    • Feeds self with spoon and drinks from cup well
    • Unzips zippers and removes pants
  • Problem-Solving
    • Sorts objects
    • Matches shapes and colors
    • Shows use of familiar objects
  • Social/Emotional
    • Watches other children intensely
    • Begins to show defiant behavior
    • Parallel play with peers
  • Receptive & Expressive Language
    • Follows two-step commands
    • Understands people outside of self (her/him)
    • Begins putting together two-word utterances (noun + verb)
    • Should be understood 50% of the time

By 3-years-old

  • Gross motor
    • Jumps up and clears feet from floor; jumps off the bottom step
    • Walks backwards
    • Beginning to balance on one foot (ie – lifts a foot in standing to help with putting on shoes/pants)
  • Fine motor
    • Unscrews jar lid
    • Turns pages in book
    • Imitates a drawn cross
  • Self-Help
    • Toilet trained and pulls pants up with assistance
    • Brushes teeth with assistance
    • Washes hands
  • Problem-Solving
    • Draws a two to three part person
    • Knows own gender
    • Knows own age
  • Social/Emotional
    • Begins to take turns
    • Starts to share without prompting
    • Tries to help with household tasks
  • Receptive & Expressive Language
    • Understands/follows prepositional phrases (in, on)
    • Uses 200+ words in repertoire
    • Should be understood 75% of the time
    • Points to objects by use

While 3-years-old

  • Gross motor
    • Pedals a tricycle
    • Walks up stairs with no support or rail with 1 foot on each step
    • Catches playground sized ball with arms outstretched
  • Fine motor
    • Strings small beads
    • Begins using scissors (awkwardly)
    • Independently draws a circle
  • Self-Help
    • Independent in feeding self
    • Puts on shoes without laces and unbuttons clothing
  • Problem-Solving
    • Understands long/short, big/small, more/less
    • Points to self in photos
    • Points to body parts based on function (“What do you hear with?”)
  • Social/Emotional
    • Fears imaginary things
    • Uses words to describe what someone else is thinking (“Mom thought I was asleep”)
    • Imaginative play
  • Receptive & Expressive Language
    • Understands negatives (not)
    • Groups objects together (toys, foods, animals)
    • Produces 3+ word sentences

While 4-years-old

  • Gross motor
    • Jumps forward 1-2 feet with 2 footed take-off and landing
    • Stands on each foot for ~5 seconds; hops on each foot 2+ times
    • Throws a ball with an overhand motion
  • Fine motor
    • Writes part of first name with emerging use of accurate grasp on writing utensil
    • Cuts out a 5-inch circle
  • Self-Help
    • Goes to toilet independently and wipes following bowel movement
    • Brushes teeth independently
    • Buttons clothing
  • Problem-Solving
    • Simple analogies (“ice/cold, fire/?”)
    • Points to 5 or 6 colors
    • Points to letters/numerals when named
  • Social/Emotional
    • Has a preferred friend
    • Labels happiness, sadness, fear, and anger in self
    • Group play
  • Receptive & Expressive Language
    • Tells stories
    • Can be understood 100% of the time
    • Understands adjectives, same versus different and items by function

While 5-years-old

  • Gross motor
    • Walks down stairs with one foot on each step independently or with a rail
    • Skips
    • Stands on each foot 8+ seconds without losing balance
  • Fine motor
    • Writes first name
    • Able to squeeze and coordinate clothespins/tongs
  • Self-Help
    • Independent in dressing self
    • Bathes self independently
  • Problem-Solving
    • Identifies coins
    • Rote counts to 10
    • Names 10 colors
  • Social/Emotional
    • Has a group of friends
    • Apologizes for mistakes
    • Plays board games with support
  • Receptive & Expressive Language
    • Defines simple, frequent vocabulary words
    • Retells story with clear beginning, middle and end
    • Understands location (side, middle, corner)
    • Understands –er (skater, batter, teacher)

Questions about developmental milestones?

Schedule a free phone consultation with a Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, or a Speech Therapist.

Schedule Now

New client consultation times are now available with our clinical leaders:

Schedule A FREE Phone Consultation Today

Jessica or Erin for Physical Therapy, Mallory for Occupational Therapy, Emily for Speech Therapy, and Brandyn or Missy for Psychology and Counseling. They'll help you identify the services that best fit your child's needs and guide you to the next steps.

Schedule Now