• Milestones

     
    Below please find a brief list of developmental milestones. If you feel your child is not meeting these benchmarks, please contact staff at the PrePrimary Evaluation Team.

  • 3 Months

    • lift head and chest when lying on stomach
    • show vigorous body movement
    • show improved head control
    • recognize breast or bottle
    • coo, gurgle, chuckles, babble
    • cry differently for different needs
    • repeat the same sounds a lot
    • turn toward the speaker
    • smile when spoken to
    • recognize caregivers voice
    • startle or cry at noises
    • awaken at loud sounds
    • listen to speech
     

    6 Months

    • sit with help
    • roll from back to stomach
    • support weight, bounce
    • hold one toy and reach for another
    • babble more than two sounds
    • babble sounds like parent speech but not clear
    • respond to name
    • respond to “no”
    • turn toward sound
     

    12 Months

    • pull self to stand
    • step with support
    • pick things up with thumb and one finger (pincer grasp)
    • put one toy in another
    • give toy on request
    • give affection
    • imitate actions in play (claps when you clap)
    • use simple gestures (wave “bye bye”)
    • follow simple directions with a gesture
    • turn or look up when you call
    • enjoy imitating sounds
    • use voice to get attention
    • use jargon that sounds like real speech
    • say “mama” and “dada”
    • say two to three words
     

    18 Months

    • engage in pretend play (pretend to talk on the phone)
    • point to interesting objects
    • look at an object you direct his/her attention to
    • use several single words unprompted
    • say 8-10 words
    • put two words together (“go bye-bye”)

  • 24 Months

    • kick a large ball
    • turn over container to dump contents
    • turn pages of a book
    • point to object or picture named
    • imitate housework
    • become more interested in other children
    • ask for items by name
    • follow simple instructions
    • follow two requests (“Get the ball and put it on the table.”)
    • have 10-15 words
    • ask 1-2 word questions (“Where kitty?”)
     

    36 Months

    • complete a 3 to 4 piece puzzle
    • play make-believe with dolls, animals, and people
    • imitate adults and playmates
    • understand differences in meaning (“go-stop”)
    • notice sounds such as dog barking, doorbell ringing
    • use 4 to 6 word sentences
    • use 200-300 words
    • use pronouns (I, you, me, we they)
    • use some plurals (cars, dogs, cats)
     

    48 Months

    • pretend to be “mom” or “dad”
    • cooperate with other children
    • understand conversation
    • hear when you call from another room
    • speak clearly and in 5 to 6 word sentences
    • follow three step commands
    • ask “why” and “what” questions
    • say most sounds except r, s, th, and l
     

    60 Months

    • count ten or more objects
    • say own name
    • say own address
    • understand the difference between fantasy and reality
    • attempt to please and be like friends
    • say all sounds correctly except "s" and "th"
    • use same sentence structure as other family members
  • Milestones adapted from information provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, American Speech and Hearing Foundation, and Early On® Michigan.