Understanding Developmental Milestones

At Therapy Services of Northwest Arkansas, we specialize in tracking and aiding in the achievement of crucial developmental milestones for children. Our team of professionals is committed to providing personalized care tailored to your child’s unique needs. Learn more about developmental milestones below and contact us for more information about our services and how we can support your child’s development.

Why Developmental Milestones Matter

Recognizing and addressing developmental milestones are vital for ensuring your child’s overall growth and well-being. Our milestone tracker helps monitor progress in various categories, providing a comprehensive overview of your child’s development. These milestones track:

• Social-emotional engagement with others
• Adaptive self-help, persistence and attention, and self-regulation
• Motor movement and physical development
• Language, including what we understand and what we can express
• Cognitive thinking, learning, and problem solving

Get in touch with us to find out how our milestone tracking can benefit your child.

Milestones By Age

Here are some important milestones children typically reach by a certain age:

Two Months

• Social-Emotional: Smiles when given attention; can briefly self-soothe
• Self-Help: Calms down when comforted; shows excitement at the sight of a bottle or breast
• Motor Skills: Brings hands to mouth; lifts head while on tummy; turns head from side to side when held
• Language: Reacts to loud sounds; coos; turns head towards sounds
• Cognitive Development: Follows moving objects with eyes; looks at adult faces; starts to enjoy changes in surroundings

Six Months

• Social-Emotional: Starts to recognize familiar and unfamiliar people; enjoys interacting, especially with parents
• Self-Help: Enjoys looking at themselves in the mirror; shows interest in objects; tries to reach items within view
• Motor Skills: Rolls from back to front and front to back; sits unsupported for a few seconds; supports themselves on all fours as if preparing to crawl; may rock back and forth
• Language: Makes sounds in response to other sounds; often takes turns making sounds with parents; responds to their name; transfers objects from one hand to the other
• Cognitive Development: Is curious and tries to reach for things; looks around to show interest in their surroundings

One Year

• Social-Emotional: Clearly distinguishes between familiar and unfamiliar people; shows separation anxiety when away from parents
• Self-Help: Holds out arms or legs to assist with dressing; hands a book for a story or a toy to be activated
• Motor Skills: Pulls up to stand without assistance; may take steps independently; moves around by holding onto objects
• Language: Responds to simple spoken requests or directions; uses gestures like waving for “bye-bye” and shaking head for “no"
• Cognitive Development: Follows simple instructions like “look at me” or “pick up the toy”; looks at named pictures or objects; puts items in and out of a container

18 Months

• Social-Emotional: Shows affection to familiar people; pretends to feed dolls or stuffed animals.
• Self-Help: May have temper tantrums; might be clingy with caregivers in new situations.
• Motor Skills: Walks up steps while holding a hand; eats with a spoon; can carry a large object (e.g., ball) while walking.
• Language: Says 10-15 single words; meaningfully shakes head or says “no” and “yes.”
• Cognitive Development: Follows one-step instructions without gestures; scribbles on paper; points to 1-3 body parts.

Two Years

• Social-Emotional: Imitates other children and adults; gets excited when seeing other children; spontaneously greets familiar people.
• Self-Help: Shows defiant behavior as a sign of independence; feeds themselves most foods independently; drinks from an open cup while seated; recognizes the need for a diaper change.
• Motor Skills: Builds a tower of four or more blocks; kicks a ball; climbs up and down furniture independently; has a steady gait; runs with both feet off the ground.
• Language: Uses two-word phrases to describe concepts or ideas; points to identify objects; names familiar objects.
• Cognitive Development: Engages in make-believe games; pretend play includes more complex ideas; follows two-step instructions; correctly sorts most shapes and colors.

Three Years

• Social-Emotional: Knows if they are a boy or girl; understands concepts like “mine,” “his,” and “hers”; shows concern for someone who is hurt or sad.
• Self-Help: Can transition from one activity to another but may get upset with major routine changes; feeds themselves with a spoon and fork; drinks from an open cup without support or spilling; cooperates in dressing and toileting.
• Motor Skills: Screws and unscrews jar lids; can turn a doorknob; walks up and down stairs, placing one foot on each step; builds a six-block tower; can copy a circle drawn on paper; kicks a ball.
• Language: Tells their name and age correctly; speaks in full sentences and carries on a conversation; speaks clearly and is usually understood by unfamiliar people.
• Cognitive Development: Understands the meaning of “in,” “on,” and “under”; understands number concepts like “give me one” and “give me three”; can name favorite friends.

Four Years

• Social-Emotional: Prefers playing with others; enjoys role-playing; cooperates well with other children.
• Self-Help: Can dress themselves; mostly independent with toileting; remembers where they left items.
• Motor Skills: Copies letters and numbers; draws shapes; catches a ball; hops on one foot; stands on one foot without support.
• Language: Tells stories; knows their first and last names; can explain the use of objects; uses correct grammar, plurals, and pronouns like “he” and “she.”
• Cognitive Development: Understands concepts like same/different and short/tall; can name and identify body parts; draws a person with 2-4 body parts.

Five Years

• Social-Emotional: Tries to please friends; wants to be like their friends; follows rules; can distinguish between real and make-believe.
• Self-Help: Is independent in dressing, undressing, hand washing, blowing nose, and similar tasks.
• Motor Skills: Stands on one foot for 10 or more seconds; can hop and may skip; swings and climbs; has a mature grasp of pencils or crayons.
• Language: Speaks very clearly; can convey clear ideas when telling a story or sharing an experience; follows multi-step instructions.
• Cognitive Development: Recognizes their own printed name; attempts to write their name; draws pictures and tells the story of what is happening in the drawing.