Developmental Milestones

7 months - 1 year

1 - 2 years

2 - 3 years

3 - 4 years

4 - 5 years

Hearing & Understanding

(7 months - 1 year)

• Turns and looks in the direction of sounds
• Listens when spoken to
• Recognizes words for common items like “cup”, “shoe”, “juice”
• Responds to name
• Begins to respond to simple requests (“come here”, “want more”)
• Smiles when smiled at and can follow eye gaze

Talking & Play Skills

(7 months - 1 year)

• Babbling with both long and short groups of sounds “tata upup bibibibib”
• Uses speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep attention
• Imitates different speech sounds
• Has 1 or 2 words (bye-bye, dad, mama)
• Enjoys games like peak-a-boo and pat-a-cake
• Joint attention
• Reacts to emotions

Hearing & Understanding

(1 - 2 years)

• Points to a few body parts
• Follows 1-2 step directions and understands simple questions (“roll the ball”, “kiss the baby”, “go get your shoes”)
• Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes
• Points to pictures in a book when named

Talking & Play Skills

(1 - 2 years)

• Says more words every month, sometimes every day
• Uses some 1-2 word questions (where kitty? go bye-bye?)
• Puts 2 words together (more cookie, no juice, mommy book)
• Uses many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words
• Points to objects to get others engaged (joint attention)
• Plays near other children, begins to imitate
• Greets others, takes turns
• Brings objects to adult, requests action with words/ gestures

Hearing & Understanding

(2 - 3 years)

• Hears when you call from another room
• Answers simple “who?”, “what?”, & “where?” questions
• Follows 2-step directions
• Understands concepts “inside”, “under”, “on top”
• Points to 5-6 body parts when asked

Talking & Play Skills

(2 - 3 years)

• Has a word for almost everything (50-200 words)
• Uses 2-3 words to talk about and ask for things
• Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time
• Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them
• Acts out simple themes from own experience
• Talks to self during play

Hearing & Understanding

(3 - 4 years)

• Understands differences in meaning (“go-stop”, “in-on”, “big-little”, “up-down”)
• Follows 2 step, related directions (“Get the book and put it on the table”)
• Understands action words (“jump, run, wash”) and descriptive words (“big, wet, little”)
• Matches objects to pictures

Talking & Play Skills

(3 - 4 years)

• Talks about activities completed earlier from school or home
• People outside the family understand the child’s speech
• Uses  sentences that have 4 or more words
• Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words
• Cooperative play begins
• Begins to share and show empathy and emotions
• Able to maintain a topic

Hearing & Understanding

(4 - 5 years)

• Pays attention to short stories and answers simple questions
• Hears and understands most of what is said in school
• Understands spatial concepts (under, in back of, in front of)
• Makes inferences from pictures and stories
• Understands and can produce rhyming words

Talking & Play Skills

(4 - 5 years)

• Says most sounds correctly except l, s, r, v, z, j, ch, sh, th.
• Uses the same grammar as the rest of the family
• Uses sentences that give lots of details (I like to read by books)
• Tells stories that stick to topic
• Communicates easily with other children and adults
• Understand that other people have thoughts

Play

(1 - 1 1/2 years)

• Solitary or onlooker play; self play
• Begins running-stiff and awkward
• Scribbles spontaneously with crayon
• Puts objects in and out of containers
• Can figure out ways of overcoming some obstacles (opening doors, reaching high)
• Imitates many things (sweeping, combing hair-self use)
• Pulls toys; carries or hugs doll, teddy bear
• Very rapid shifts in attention

Pragmatics

(1 - 1 1/2 years)

• Brings objects to show an adult
• Requests objects by pointing and vocalizing or possibly using a word approximation
• Solicits another’s attention vocally, physically, and/or possibly with gestures
• Gesturally requests action/assistance (many may give back wind-up toy for activation)
• Says “bye” and possibly a few other conventional ritual words such as “hi,” “thank you,” and “please”
• Protests by saying “no” shaking head, moving away, frowning, or pushing objects away
• Comments on objects/actions by directing listeners’ attention to it with a point and/or vocalization or word approximation
• Answers simple "wh" questions with a vocal response (may be unintelligible)
• Acknowledges speech of another person by giving eye contact, vocally responding or repeating a word said
• Teases, warns, scolds using gesture plus a vocalization or a word approximation

Play

(1 1/2 - 2 years)

• Parallel play – plays near others but not with them
• Talks to self as he/she plays
• Little social give and take – little interest in what others say and do, but hugs, pushes, pulls, snatches, grabs, defends rights by pulling hair and kicking
• Does not ask for help
• Transports blocks on a truck rather than just building
• Relates to an object or another person- washes, feeds, combs doll in addition to self
• Likes to play with flexible material such as clay-pots, pinches, and fingers
• Strings beads
• Less rapid shifts in attention

Pragmatics

(1 1/2 - 2 years)

• Uses gestures with words to get needs met
• Says “what’s that?” to elicit attention
• Begins using single words and some two-word phrases to command (move), indicate possession (mine), express problems ("Ouch")
• Vocal with verbal turn-taking

Play

(2 - 3 years)

• Parallel play predominates
• Arranges doll furniture into meaningful groups and uses figures to act out simple themes from own experiences
• Aligns three or more cubes to make a train; pushes train
• Builds a tower of six or seven blocks
• Imitates drawing of a vertical line
• Sequences related actions such as preparing food for doll, feeding it, wiping mouth
• Begins pretend play with more than

Pragmatics

(2 - 3 years)

• Begins using and displaying basic emotions: happy, sad, mad
• Enjoys being next to children of the same age

Play

(3 - 3 1/2 years)

• Builds a bridge from a model
• Cooperative play begins
• Organizes doll furniture accurately and begins to use in genuinely imaginative ways
• Draws two or more strokes for a cross-on imitation
• Begins to share
• Reenacts experienced events such as birthday parties, baking cookies
• Uses one object to represent another (stick = phone or fence)
• Pretends to play different characters

Pragmatics

3 - 3 1/2 years)

• Engages in longer dialogues
• Assumes the role of another person in play
• Uses more filters to acknowledge partner’s message (uh-huh, yea, ok)
• Begins code switching (using simpler language) when talking to very young children
• Uses more elliptical resources
• Requests permission
• Begins using language for fantasies, jokes, teasing
• Makes conversational repairs when listener has not understood
• Talks about interests and feelings for past and future
• Corrects others
• Primitive narratives emerge: events follow from central core/ use of interference in stories

Play

(3 1/2 - 4 years)

• Increase in dramatization of play
• Complicated ideas, but unable to carry out in detail; no carryover from day to day
• Prefers to play in a group of two or three children; chooses companion of own sex
• Suggests turns, but often bossy in directing others
• Often silly in play and may do things wrong purposefully
• Puts toys away
• Likes to dress up
• Draws human with two parts; adds three parts to incomplete human
• Builds structures/buildings with blocks
• Assumes the role of another person in play (becomes a teacher, animal, parent)

Pragmatics

(3 1/2 - 4 years)

• Listens attentively to conversational partner of age appropriate material
• Makes relevant comments on familiar stories or events
• Enjoys riddles, jokes and funny stories with “guessing”

Play

(4 - 5 years)

• Likes cutting out and pasting
• Likes working projects - may carry over from day-to-day
• Definite interests in finishing what he/she starts
• Plays in groups of two to five; friendships become stronger
• Spurred on by rivalry in activity, competition
• Interested in going on excursions
• Draws unmistakable human with body, arms, legs, feet, nose, and eyes
• Adds seven parts to incomplete human
• Copies a triangle
• Watches life simulation programs on TV; gains information from verbal contents

Pragmatics

(4 - 5 years)

• Changes tone of voice to adapt to listeners perspective
• Shows pride for accomplishments
• Boasts, exaggerates and blends truths
• Changes moods rapidly and unpredictably
• Relies on verbal rather than physical engagement
• Uses indirect requests
• Uses twice as many effective utterances as three-year old to discuss emotions and feelings
• Narrative development characterized by unfocused chains of elaborate story telling

Play

(5 - 6 years)

• Copies drawing of diamond
• Copies drawing of rectangle with diagonals in middle
• Draws human with neck, fingers, clothes, and two dimensional legs
• Adds nine parts to incomplete human
• May start collections
• Able to play games by rules
• Builds things with blocks
• Plans many sequences of pretend events; uses props and language to develop a theme (going on a trip to outer space)
• Suggests imaginative and elaborate play ideas
• Plays cooperatively

Play

(5 - 6 years)

• Copies drawing of diamond
• Copies drawing of rectangle with diagonals in middle
• Draws human with neck, fingers, clothes, and two dimensional legs
• Adds nine parts to incomplete human
• May start collections
• Able to play games by rules
• Builds things with blocks
• Plans many sequences of pretend events; uses props and language to develop a theme (going on a trip to outer space)
• Suggests imaginative and elaborate play ideas
• Plays cooperatively