Developmental Milestones

Developmental Milestones

• Cognition (thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, understanding)
• Language (expressive and receptive abilities)
• Social interaction (initiating peer contact, group play)
• Adaptive (dressing, eating,washing)

Motor Skills Milestones

By age one

• Gross Motor
• sits without support
• crawls
• pulls self to standing position and stands unaided
• walks with aid
• rolls a ball in imitation of adult
• Fine Motor
• reaches, grasps, puts object in mouth
• picks things up with pincer grasp (thumb and one finger)
• transfers object from one hand to the other
• drops and picks up toy

Between ages one and two

• Gross Motor
• walks alone
• walks backwards
• picks up toys from floor without falling
• pulls toys, pushes toys
• seats self in child size chair
• walks up and down stairs with hand held
• moves to music
• Fine Motor
• builds tower of three small blocks
• puts four rings on stick
• places five pegs in pegboard
• turns pages two or three at a time
• scribbles
• turns knobs
• throws small ball
• paints with whole arm movement, shifts hands, makes strokes

Between ages two and three

• Gross Motor
• runs forward well
• jumps in place with two feet together
• stands on one foot (with aid)
• walks on tiptoe
• kicks a ball forward
• Fine Motor
• strings four large beads
• turns single pages
• snips with scissors
• holds crayon with thumb and fingers (not fist)
• uses one hand consistently in most activities
• imitates circular, vertical, horizontal strokes
• paints with some wrist action; makes dots, lines, circular strokes
• rolls, pounds, squeezes, and pulls clay

Between ages three and four

• Gross Motor
• runs around obstacles
• walks on a line
• balances on one foot for five to ten seconds
• hops on one foot
• pushes, pulls, steers wheeled toys
• rides tricycle
• uses slide independently
• jumps over six inch high object and lands on both feet together
• throws ball overhead
• catches a bounce ball
• Fine Motor
• builds tower of nine small blocks
• drives nails and pegs
• copies circle
• imitates cross
• manipulates clay material (rolls balls, snakes, cookies)

Between ages four and five

• Gross Motor
• walks backward toe-heel
• jumps forward 10 times without falling
• walks up and down stair independently, alternating feet
• turns somersault
• Fine Motor
• cuts on line continuously
• copies cross
• copies square
• prints some capital letters

Between ages five and six

• Gross Motor
• runs lightly on toes
• walks on balance beam
• can cover 2 meters hopping
• skips on alternate feet
• jumps rope
• skates
• Fine Motor
• cuts out simple shapes
• copies triangle
• traces diamond
• copies first name
• prints numerals 1 to 5
• colors within lines
• has adult grasp of pencil
• had handedness well established
• pastes and glues appropriately