Skills Your Child Should Demonstrate

0-3 Months

Motor Skills

• Symmetrical arm and leg movement
• Gains head control in supported sitting
• Props on forearms when lying on tummy
• Follows with eyes a moving person or toy

Speech and Language Skills

• Quiets to a familiar voice
• Attaches to nipple and sucks
• Makes gurgling and cooing noises
• Smiles
• Cries to express hunger, fear and discomfort

3-6 Months

Motor Skills

• Explores objects with hands and mouth
• Brings hands together in the middle
• Rolls from tummy to back
• Reaches for toys and may grasp them
• Lifts head and chest from floor on tummy
• Sits with some support
• Holds a bottle with two hands

Speech and Language Skills

• Babbles and demonstrates sound play
• Turns head toward source of the sound
• Puts toys to mouth
• Rice Cereal trials

6-9 Months

Motor Skills

• Sits independently with active reaching
• Picks up tiny objects
• Stands with help
• Rolls from back to tummy
• Moves an object from hand to hand

Speech and Language Skills

• Waves in response to “bye-bye”
• Duplicates syllables such as “dada”, “mama”, or “baba”
• Shakes and bangs objects in play
• Reacts to a “peek-a-boo” game

9-12 Months

Motor Skills

• Bangs two cubes
• Cruises and pulls up onto furniture
• Takes objects out of a container
• Crawls on hands and knees
• Attempts to use a spoon
• Enjoys toddler swings

Speech and Language Skills

• Gives objects upon request (“Give me…”)
• Says “mama/dada” meaningfully
• Imitates non-speech sounds (moo, vroom-vroom)
• Responds to “no-no”
• Says first word
• Drinks from a cup/Experiments with finger foods

12-18 Months

Motor Skills

• Places on block on top of another
• Walks independently
• Scribbles on paper
• Tosses a ball forward
• Pokes with index finger
• Enjoys playing in a sandbox
• Places pegs in a pegboard

Speech and Language Skills

• Uses/plays with objects appropriately (phone, etc)
• Follows simple 1-step commands
• Attends to pictures in a book
• Uses spontaneous words
• Shakes head “no” or uses “no” as favorite word
• Identifies two body parts on self (eye, nose, mouth, ear)
• Participates in play routine for 1-2 minutes

18-24 Months

Motor Skills

• Circular scribbles
• Stands on one foot with help
• Picks up toy from floor without falling
• Attempts to fold paper
• Kicks ball forward
• Imitates housework during play

Speech and Language Skills

• Points to common objects
• Understands a minimum of 50 words
• Asks for “more”
• Asks “What’s that?”
• Imitates words readily
• Uses 5-10 words spontaneously

2-Years-Old

Motor Skills

• Strings 1” beads
• Jumps in place
• Snips with scissors
• Runs for short distances without falling
• Puts shoes on with help

Speech and Language Skills

• Follows 2-step related commands (“Pick up your shoes and bring them to me”)
• Uses early pronouns (me, my, mine)
• Uses 2-word phrases (“want juice”/”more juice”)
• Asks for “help” when needed
• Responds to simple questions
• Plays independently and watches other children

3-Years-Old

Motor Skills

• Holds maker with fingers
• Walks up/down stairs without a rail
• Imitates a cross
• Kicks a ball without help
• Completes a puzzle
• Climbs on playground equipment
• Unbuttons 1” button
• Rides a tricycle

Speech and Language Skills

• Identifies part of an object (“nose on cow”)
• Relates daily experiences
• Identifies complex body parts (wrist, knee, ankle)
• Speaks in sentences
• Understands directions “in”, “on”, and “under”

4-Years-Old

Motor Skills

• Draws a person with three body parts
• Stands on one foot for 6 seconds
• Cuts following a line
• Jumps forward
• Pencil is held with thumb, 1st and, 2nd fingers
• Catches a large ball with hands only

Speech and Language Skills

• Understands descriptive words (long/short)
• Describes a 3-step procedure (i.e. How to make a PBJ sandwich)
• Acts very social
• Asks questions using “what”, “when”, “where”
• Plays appropriately with other children

5-Years-Old

Motor Skills

• Copies a triangle
• Draws a simple picture
• Dresses self
• Shows hand dominance
• Skips
• Walks down stairs carrying an object

Speech and Language Skills

• Speaks in conversation
• Speech is 90% intelligible
• Is able to follow rules
• Knows colors
• Knows opposites
• Counts from 1-10
• Understands simple time concepts (Yesterday/Tomorrow, Morning/Night)