DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES:
Age Gross Motor
Flexor tone predominates
In prone, turns head to
side
0 Automatic reflex
walking
Rounded spine when
held sitting
Head midline
Head held when pulled
to sit
4 mos
In prone, lifts head to 90°
and lifts chest slightly
Turns to supine
Maintains sitting, may
lean on arms
Rolls to prone
7 mos
Bears all weight,
bounces when held erect
Cervical lordosis
Creeps on all 4’s
Pivot in sitting
Stands momentarily,
cruises
10 mos
Slight bow leg
Increased lumbar
lordosis, acute LS
angulation
Walks alone, arms in
high guard or midguard
Wide base, excessive
knee and hip flexion
14 mos Foot contact on entire
side
Slight valgus of knees
and feet
Pelvic tilt and rotation
Arms at low guard
Mature supporting base
18 mos
and heel strike
Seats self in a chair
Fine Motor Personal/Social Speech and Language
Hands fisted Habituation and some control of state Cry
Grasp reflex State dependent quieting and head
State-dependent ability to fix and turning to rattle or voice
follow bright objects
Hands mostly open Recognizes bottle Turns to voice and bell
Midline hand play consistently
Crude palmar grasp Laughs, squeals
Responsive vocalization
Blows bubbles, raspberries
Intermediate grasp Differentiates b/w familiar person and Uses 1-word and 2-consonant
Transfers cube from hand-to-hand stranger vowel combinations
Bangs objects Holds bottle
Looks for dropped object
Talks to mirror image
Pincer grasp, mature thumb to index Plays peek-a-boo Shouts for attention
grasp Finger feeds Imitates speech sounds
Bangs 2 cubes held in hands Chews with rotary movement Waves bye-bye
Uses mama and dada with
meaning
Inhibits behavior to “no”
Piles 2 cubes Uses spoon with over pronation and Uses single words
Scribbles spontaneously spilling Understands simple commands
Holds crayon full length in palm Removes a garment
Casts objects
Emerging hand dominance Imitates housework Points to named body part
Crude release Carries, hugs doll Identifies one picture
Hold crayon butt end in palm Drinks from cup neatly Says “no”
Dumps raisin from bottle Jargons
 Walks backward spontaneously
Begin running Hand dominance is usual Pulls on garment 2-word phrases are common
Walks up and down Build 8-cube tower Uses spoon well Uses verbs
stairs alone Aligns cubes horizontally Opens door turning knob Refers to self by name
2 yrs Jumps on both feet in Imitates vertical line Feeds doll with bottle or spoon Uses me, mine
place Places pencil shaft b/w thumb and Toilet training usually begun Follows simple directions
fingers
Draws with arm and wrist action
Runs well Imitates 3-cube bridge Toilet trained day and night 3-word sentences are usual
Pedal tricycle Copies circle Pours from pitcher Uses future tense
Broad jumps Uses overhand throw with AP arm Unbutton; washes and dries hands Asks who, what, where
Walks up stairs and motion and face Follows prepositional commands
3 yrs
alternating feet Catches with extended arms hugging Parallel play Gives full name
against body Can take turns May stutter; eager
Can be reasoned with Identifies sex of self
Recognizes 3 colors
Walks down stairs Handles a pencil by finger and wrist Cooperative play-sharing and Gives connected account of
alternating feet action, like adults interacting experience
Hops on one foot Copies a cross Imaginative make-believe play Asks why, when, how
4 yrs Plantar arches Draws a froglike person with head Dresses and undresses with Uses past tense, adjectives,
developing and extremities supervision distinguishing front and adverbs
Sits up from supine Throws underhand back of clothing and buttoning Knows opposite analogies
position s rotating Cuts with scissors Does simple errands outside of home Repeats 4 digits
Skips, tiptoes Hand dominance expected Creative play Fluent speech
Balances 10 sec on each Draws man with head, body, Competitive team play Misarticulation of some sounds
foot extremities Uses fork for stabbing food may persist
Throws with diagonal arm and body Brushes teeth Gives name, age, address
5 yrs
rotation Self-sufficient in toileting Defines concrete nouns –
Catches with hand Dresses s supervision except tying composition, classification, use
shoelaces Follows 3-part commands
Number concept to 10
Rides bicycle Prints alphabet; letter reversal still Teacher is important authority Shows mastery of grammar
Roller skates acceptable Uses fork appropriately Uses proper articulation
6 yrs
Mature catch and throw of ball Uses knife for spreading
Plays table games
Continuing refinement of Eats with fork and knife
7 yrs skills Combs hair
Responsible for grooming