Understanding Developmental Milestones: A Guide for Parents and Educators

As parents and educators, we often find ourselves marveling at how quickly children grow and change. Each stage of development is marked by new skills and abilities that pave the way for future learning and growth. Understanding these developmental milestones can help you support your child's journey and ensure they are on track. Let's explore the key milestones from birth to five years.

Birth to 12 Months: Laying the Foundation

The first year of life is a period of rapid growth and development. Babies begin to explore their world through movement and interaction with their caregivers.

• 2 months: Babies lift their head and chest when prone, track objects with their eyes, alert to sounds, smile reciprocally, and recognize their parents.
• 4 months: They roll from front to back, grasp rattles, laugh, are soothed by a parent's voice, and orient their head towards sounds.
• 6 months: Sitting with little or no support, reaching with one hand, transferring objects between hands, babbling, developing stranger anxiety, and self-feeding are common.
• 9 months: Babies pull to stand, develop an immature pincer grasp, bang objects together, say "mama/dada" indiscriminately, wave bye-bye, and play gesture games like pat-a-cake.
• 12 months: Standing and walking alone become possible. They exhibit a fine pincer grasp, say one word other than "mama/dada," follow one-step commands with gestures, and point to desired objects.

Toddler Years: Exploring Independence

The toddler years are characterized by increased independence as children begin to assert themselves in new ways.

• 15 months: Stooping and recovering balance, scribbling in imitation, using 3–5 words, using a spoon and cup independently, turning pages in a book.
• 18 months: Running well, building a tower of three cubes, pointing to body parts (1–3), helping around the house.
• 24 months: Throwing a ball overhand, kicking a ball, copying lines with crayons, speaking in two-word combinations with a vocabulary over 50 words, engaging in parallel play, removing clothing items.

Preschool Years: Refining Skills

The preschool years bring more refined motor skills and complex social interactions as children prepare for formal education.

• 36 months: Pedaling a tricycle, copying circles, speaking in three-word sentences with 75% intelligibility to strangers, brushing teeth with help.
• 48 months: Hopping on one foot, copying squares or crosses, having fully intelligible speech to strangers, playing cooperatively in groups, knowing four colors.
• 60 months: Skipping confidently, copying triangles, defining simple words using five-word sentences, dressing independently.

TinyEYE's online therapy services offer support for children who may need assistance reaching these milestones. Our expert therapists work closely with schools to provide personalized care tailored to each child's needs.

For more information on developmental milestones and how you can support your child's growth journey, please follow this link.