Child Development Timeline

Birth to Age 5

The following timeline provides an estimated timeline of developmental achievements for your child. Please note that all children develop differently and the purpose of this timeline is to provide an indication as to how your child should be developing from birth through age 5.

1 Month:

• Lifts head a little when lying on stomach
• Responds to sound
• Stares at faces
• Follows objects
• Makes sounds – oohs and ahhs
• Can see black-and-white patterns
• Holds head at a 45-degree angle

2 Months:

• Vocalizes more sounds – gurgling and cooing
• Holds head up briefly at a 45-degree angle
• Smiles and laughs in response to others smiling at them
• Movements become smoother
• Rolls onto side

3 Months:

• Holds head steady
• Recognizes your face and scent
• Vocalizes more sounds – squealing
• Able to push up with arms when lying on stomach
• Turns toward loud sounds
• Bears weight on legs
• Able to roll over
• Shows active arm and leg movement
• Able to track moving objects with their eyes

4 Months:

• Able to grasp toys
• Reaches out for objects
• Rolling over from front-to-back and back-to-front
• Imitates speech sounds

5 Months:

• Able to distinguish between bold colors
• Plays with hands and feet
• Turns toward new sounds
• Recognizes own name
• May cut first tooth
• Laughs out loud
• Likes to play

6 Months:

• Turns toward sounds and voices
• Blows bubbles
• Changes objects from hand-to-hand and from hand-to-mouth
• Sits with little support
• Begins to eat solid foods

7 to 9 Months:

• Sits without support and changes position
• Reaches for objects with a sweeping motion
• Imitates sounds (babbles)
• Begins to make word-like sounds
• Begins to lunge forward and crawl
• Stands or cruises while holding onto furniture
• Points at objects, bangs objects together and passes objects from hand-to-hand
• Picks things up via a thumb-finger pinching-type grasp

10 to 12 Months:

• Responds to their name
• Waves goodbye
• Pull themselves up into a standing position
• Crawls well, cruises and takes a few steps
• Understands the concept of “no”
• Can nod their head to indicate “yes”
• Uses gestures to indicate what they want or need
• Able to say “mama” and “dada”

1 to 1 ½ Years:

• Able to walk without support
• Can handle some self-feeding
• Drinks from a cup
• Use voice inflection
• Able to say 5 to 10 words
• Scribbles with crayons

1 ½ to 2 Years:

• May begin to run
• Begins to climb up and down stairs
• Comprehends easy instructions
• Can use a fork and a spoon
• Able to throw a ball underhand
• Can pretend play
• Attempts to take off own clothes with assistance
• Learns words at a rapid rate (approximately 10 words per day)
• Can form 2- to 3-word sentences
• Able to throw a ball overhand
• Can kick a ball forward
• Can build a short block tower
• Begins to sing simple songs

2 to 2 ½ Years:

• Can name approximately 6 body parts on a doll
• Talks about likes and dislikes
• “Why?” “Why?” “Why?”
• Has mastered walking up and down stairs
• Shares toys when asked
• Turns pages in a book
• Combines more words together to form simple sentences
• Begins to draw straight lines
• Washes and dries hands and brushes teeth with help
• Gets dressed and undressed with help
• Speaks clearly most of the time
• Able to balance on one foot

2 ½ to 3 Years:

• Hops and skips
• Can build a tall block tower
• Begins toilet training
• Expresses emotions
• Able to name a few colors
• Draws a circle
• Gets dressed without help
• Separates fairly easily from parents

3 Years:

• Begins conflict resolution
• Able to dress and undress themselves
• Cooperates and shares with other children
• Engages in pretend play, such as being “mom” or “dad”
• Demonstrates independent behavior
• Tends to be toilet trained

4 Years:

• Wants to be like their friends and please their friends
• Can distinguish fantasy from reality
• May enjoy singing, dancing and acting
• Able to comply more with rules
• Can be demanding or eagerly cooperative

5 Years:

• Runs on tiptoes
• Understands concept of “yesterday,” “today” and “tomorrow”
• Prints capital letters
• Recognizes their name when printed
• Uses sentence structure with correct grammar
• Plays well with others
• Able to put their shoes on the correct feet