Developmental milestones 3 months to 3 years
Marthie Stoltz
(3-6 months) Sitters
- Tummy time
- Roll to both sides with support
- Sit with support
- Visual following
- Auditory ability
- Grip (can hold rattle independently)
- Music and movement
- Hold bottle with support
- Eats finger foods with support
(12-17 months) Walkers
- Walk with confidence
- Climb on outside apparatus with help
- Play in sandpit with help
- Mastered Swiss ball activities
- Mastered form-rings
- Mastered bucket with sticks
- Play dough: roll worms with help
- Mastered paging through a book
- Tear paper with help – preparation to cut
- Big pegboard
- Stack blocks
- Wooden puzzles with help
- Take part in class activities
- Practice to roll and throw a ball
- Animal walk with help
- Walk with one foot on line with help
- Finger paint with help
- Page through a book with help
- Attention span 1 – 3 minutes
(6-12 months) Crawlers
- Can roll from left to right - from tummy position
- Sit independently
- Hands-four-feet rocking – basis of crawling
- Crawl independently
- Stand up against objects
- Stand alone
- Practice to walk
- Take part in music and movement
- Eat finger foods
- Swiss ball with help
- Crawl through tunnel
- Grip: hold items and can let go
- Bucket – put in and take out sticks with help
- Stack form-rings with help
- Handle play dough
- Play in sandpit with help
(17-22 months) Climbers
- Climb on outside apparatus
- Run
- Play in sandpit without help
- Rabbit jump
- Monkey walk
- Frog jump with help
- Forward roll with help
- Mastered walking on a line
- Mastered throwing and kicking a ball
- Practice catching a ball
- Learn to eat independently
- No more dummy
- Learn to drink from a no-spill cup
- Wooden puzzles 8-10 pieces independently
- Mastered peg board
- Play dough balls and worms roll
- Stacking blocks 2 – 5
- Thread with help (rope through
- Draw with crayon with help to grip
- Paint with thick brush with help
- Mastered finger painting
- Attention span 3-5 minutes
- Mastered paging through a book
- Take part in class activities
(22-30 months) Potty trainers
- Eat independently
- Start to potty train
- Drink from no-spill cup
- Confident with sand, water, play dough and paint activities
- Mastered animal walk
- Mastered walking on a line
- Practice walking backwards
- Dependent climb up ladder to slide
- Attention span 5-7 minutes
- Build 2-4 piece puzzle without help
- Know primary colours
- Forms: circle, square, star and triangle
- Thread through roll with help
- Pegs board with help
- Washing peg open with help
- Mastered multi forms
- Mastered stacking cups
- Play dough: Roll balls and worms
- Verbal: words and plain sentences
- Make and bake with help
- Can identify animals with help
(2, 3-5 year olds) Toddlers and pre-schoolers
- Attention span 7-10 minutes
- Mastered the potty
- Eat independently
- Drink from cup independently
- Make and bake without help
- Run
- Animal walk
- Jump over objects
- Climb
- Mastered to slide
- Play in sandpit
- Fantasy play
- Verbal: complex sentences with more complex words
- Learn to verbalise emotions and feelings
- Sing and dance to songs
- Identify and make animal sounds – pets and farm animals
- Page through magazine and show and name objects
- Identify and show body parts
- Build 4-8 piece puzzle
- Play dough: cut with knife, balls and worms roll
- Life skills: blow nose, take off shoes, wash hands