Developmental Milestones for 2 years old

Hand and Finger Development

Scribble at will
Turn over a container and pour out its contents
Build a tower of four blocks or more
Gross motor skills
Walk, run, and start learning to jump with both feet
Pull or carry toys while walking
Throw and kick a ball; try to catch with both hands
Stand on tiptoes and balance on one foot
Climb on furniture and playground equipment
Walk up stairs while holding the railing; may alternate feet
Fine motor skills
Start brushing own teeth and hair
May pull pants up and down
Turn on the faucet and wash hands
Build a block tower of at least four blocks
Start practicing snaps and zipping up (if you start the zip)
Hold utensils and crayons with fingers instead of a fist, although at this
age the grasp still may not be quite right
Language Skills
Point to things or pictures when they are named
Know the names of parents, siblings, body parts, and objects
Say a sentence with two to four words
Follow simple Instructions
Repeat words overheard in a conversation
Use a variety of single words by 18 months and speak in sentences of
two to four words by 24 months (may combine nouns and verbs, like
“mommy eat”); have a vocabulary of 200+ words by 36 months
Begin using plurals (dogs) and basic pronouns (me, you)
Social/Emotional Skills
Copy others, especially adults and older children
Get excited around other kids
Show growing independence
Play mainly beside, instead of with, other children
Show increasing defiance (doing things you told them not to do)
Be more aware of themselves as separate from others
 Disobey more than before, doing things they’re told not to do, just to
test what happens
Have tantrums when frustrated
Show increasing separation anxiety by 18 months, which typically eases
a lot by 24 months; become increasingly independent and aware of
themselves as their own person between 24 and 36 months
Learning, Thinking Skills
Find things even when they're hidden under two or three layers
Starting sorting shapes and colors
Remember and talk about things that happened in the past, using
phrases like “the other day” or “a long time ago”
Enjoy more complicated pretend play, like pretending that a box is a
spaceship or assigning people characters when playing
Follow two-part instructions (such as "drink your milk, then give me the
cup")
Builds towers of 4 or more blocks
Might use one hand more than the other
Recite favorite books and nursery rhymes with you
 Developmental Milestones for 3 years old

Gross motor skills

Run and walk without tripping over own feet
Jump, hop, and stand on one foot
Walk backwards and climb stairs one foot after the other
Kick and throw a small ball
Catch a big ball (most of the time)
Climb
Start pedaling a tricycle or bike
Fine motor skills
Draw a circle with a crayon, pencil, or marker
Play with toys that have small moving parts and/or buttons
Turn the pages of a book one at a time
Build with Mega Bloks and create towers of six or more blocks
Work door handles and open twist-on bottle tops
Language Skills
Names common objects and understands words like “in,” “on,” and “under”
Says first name, age, and gender
Speaks sentences with 3-4 words
Talks clearly enough that even strangers can usually understand
Use the basic rules of grammar, but make mistakes with words that
don’t follow the rules, like saying “mouses” instead of “mice”
Speak well enough that most strangers understand what they’re saying

Ask “wh” questions like “Why?” to get more information about things
Social and Emotional Skills
Copies what adults and friends do
Doesn’t get upset when parents leave, like at day care drop-off
Dresses and undresses without help
Gets the idea of “mine,” “his,” and “hers”
Likes to help with tasks around the house
May be potty trained during the day
Openly shows affection
Really likes routine -- gets upset with big changes
Shows concern when friends are upset
Shows a wide range of feelings
Takes turns when playing with others
 Start finding simple ways to solve arguments and disagreements
Start being able to comfort and show concern for an unhappy friend without prompting
Be interested — although hesitant — about going new places and trying new things
Thinking and Mental Skills
Makes up stories and plays make-believe with animals, dolls, and people
Screws jar lids on and off and turns door knobs
Turns pages in a book one at a time
Uses toys with levers, buttons, and moving parts
Name the eight colors in a crayon box (red, yellow, blue, green, orange,
purple, brown, black)
Understand and talk about things that are “the same” and “different”
Follow simple three-step directions (“Brush your teeth, wash your face, and put on your pa
Mathematical Skills
Knows what “two” means
Copies circles
Recite numbers to 10 and start counting groups of things
Does 3-4 piece puzzles
and “under”
 iend without prompting
nd trying new things

nd people

ur face, and put on your pajamas.”)

 Developmental Milestones for 4 years old

Gross motor skills

Alternate feet on the stairs
Jump with two feet
Use door handles
Control big muscle movements more easily — they may be able to
start, stop, turn, and go around obstacles while running
Log roll, do somersaults, skip, and trot
Throw and bounce a ball
Jump over objects and climb playground ladders
Pedal and steer a tricycle or bike
Fine motor skills
Get dressed with minimal help (zippers, snaps, and buttons may still be
a little hard)
Draw or copy basic shapes and crosses (this is a milestone known as
“being able to cross the midline”)
Write some letters or make separated, distinct marks that look like
letters
Draw wavy lines across the page that look like lines of text to make
“lists” or write greeting cards
Put together a simple puzzle
Begin to use scissors purposefully
Stack a tower at least 10 blocks high
String beads or O-shaped cereal to make necklaces
Pinch and shape clay or play-dough into recognizable objects
Language and Communication Skills
Answers simple questions
Knows some basic grammar rules and uses more and more words correctly
Says first and last name
Sings simple songs and knows poems or rhymes from memory
Sing silly songs, make up goofy words, and start rhyming
Follow simple, unrelated directions (“Go find your shoes and pick up
that toy.”)
Change speech patterns depending on who is involved in a
conversation, like speaking in short sentences to a younger sibling
Pronounce most sounds correctly, but still have trouble with s, w,
and r sounds
Ask for the definition of unfamiliar words
 Make up stories and talk about what they’re thinking
Argue, even though the argument might not be logical
Social and Emotional Skills
Can dress and undress without help
Cooperates with other kids
Gets more creative when playing make-believe
Likes doing new things
Likes playing with other kids more than playing alone
May confuse what’s real and what’s make-believe
Pretends to be Mommy or Daddy
Talks about likes and dislikes
Works through conflicts with others
Start to show and express a wider range of emotion
Share, cooperate, be helpful, and take turns
Start tattling and acting a little bossy
Enjoy telling silly jokes and find other things funny
Begin telling small lies to get out of trouble, even though they know it’s
wrong
Do or say things they shouldn’t to see what the reaction will be
Have imaginary friends and play the same imaginary games over and
over
Start playing with other kids and separate from parents and caregivers
more easily
May still have tantrums because of changes in routine or not getting what they want
Thinking and Mental Skills
Copies and draws simple shapes, such as squares and circles
Draws a person with 2-4 body parts
Follows three-step commands, like “Find your backpack, grab your coat, and put on your b
Remembers parts of stories
Starts to copy capital letters
Starts to get the idea of time
Understands the ideas behind “same” and “different”
Uses scissors
Compare and contrast by things like height, size, or gender
Begin to understand the difference between real and make-believe, but
may still confuse them
Understand that pictures and symbols stand for real things
Explore relationships between ideas, using words like if and when to
express them
Start thinking in logical steps, which means seeing the “how-tos” and
consequences of things
Get abstract ideas like “bigger,” “less,” “later,” “ago,” and “soon”
 Put things in order, like from biggest to smallest, shortest to tallest
Stick with an activity for 10 to 15 minutes
Mathematical Skills
Recognize shapes in the real world
Start sorting things by color, shape, size, or purpose
Compare and contrast using classifications like height, size, or gender
Count up to at least 20 and accurately point to and count items in a
group
Understand that numerals stand for number names (5 stands for five)
Use spatial awareness to put puzzles together
Start predicting cause and effect (like what will happen if they drop a
toy in a tub full of water)
ds correctly
our coat, and put on your boots”
 Developmental Milestones for 5 years old

Gross motor skills

Catches a ball with two hands
Hops on one foot
Performs jumping jacks and toe touches
Walks up and down the stairs while carrying objects
Fine motor skills
Draw a person with a head, a body, arms, and legs.
Dress and undress on their own, although they may still need help tying
shoelaces.
Write some small and capital letters from the alphabet.
Eat with a fork, spoon, and possibly a flatware knife.
Grasps a pencil correctly
Copy triangles and other geometric shapes.
Language and Communication Skills
Knows how to make rhymes
Says full name, address, and phone number
Speaks clearly and uses sentences with five or more words
Tells longer stories using complete sentences
Uses future tense, such as, “We will go to the park soon.”
Social and Emotional Skills
Agrees to rules more easily
Cooperates easily one moment, but very demanding the next
Does more on their own, like visiting a next-door neighbor by
themselves (with adult supervision)
Gets the difference between make-believe and reality
Knows about gender, such as who’s a boy or girl
Likes to act, dance, and sing
Wants to please friends -- and act like them, too
Thinking and Mental Skills
Draws people with six or more body parts
Knows about everyday things around the home, like food and appliances
Names 10 or more colors
Prints some letters and numbers
Stronger grasp on the idea of time
Mathematical skills
Add by counting the fingers on one hand — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 — and starting
with 6 on the second hand
Identify the larger of two numbers and recognize numerals up to 20
Copy or draw symmetrical shapes
Start using very basic maps to find a “hidden treasure”
Begin to understand basic time concepts, like morning or days of the
week
Follow multi-step directions that use words like first and next
Understand the meaning of words like unlikely or possible
ppliances