Child Development Timeline - Birth to Age 5

Following is an estimated timeline of- Can handle some self-feeding
developmental achievements for your child. Please- Drinks from a cup
note that all children develop differently and the- Use voice inflection
purpose of this timeline is to provide an indication- Able to say 5 to 10 words
as to how your child should be developing from- Scribbles with crayons
birth through age 5.1 ½ to 2 Years:
1 Month:- May begin to run
- Lifts head a little when lying on stomach- Begins to climb up and down stairs
- Responds to sound- Comprehends easy instructions
- Stares at faces- Can use a fork and a spoon
- Follows objects- Able to throw a ball underhand
- Makes sounds - oohs and ahhs- Can pretend play
- Can see black-and-white patterns- Attempts to take off own clothes with
- Holds head at a 45-degree angleassistance
2 Months:- Learns words at a rapid rate (approximately 10
- Vocalizes more sounds - gurgling and cooingwords per day)
- Holds head up briefly at a 45-degree angle- Can form 2- to 3-word sentences
- Smiles and laughs in response to others smiling- Able to throw a ball overhand
at them- Can kick a ball forward
- Movements become smoother- Can build a short block tower
- Rolls onto side- Begins to sing simple songs
3 Months:2 to 2 ½ Years:
- Holds head steady- Can name approximately 6 body parts on a doll
- Recognizes your face and scent- Talks about likes and dislikes
- Vocalizes more sounds - squealing- "Why?" "Why?" "Why?"
- Able to push up with arms when lying on- Has mastered walking up and down stairs
stomach- Shares toys when asked
- Turns toward loud sounds- Turns pages in a book
- Bears weight on legs- Combines more words together to form simple
- Able to roll oversentences
- Shows active arm and leg movement- Begins to draw straight lines
- Able to track moving objects with their eyes- Washes and dries hands and brushes teeth with
4 Months:help
- Able to grasp toys- Gets dressed and undressed with help
- Reaches out for objects- Speaks clearly most of the time
- Rolling over from front-to-back and- Able to balance on one foot
back-to-front2 ½ to 3 Years:
- Imitates speech sounds- Hops and skips
5 Months:- Can build a tall block tower
- Able to distinguish between bold colors- Begins toilet training
- Plays with hands and feet- Expresses emotions
- Turns toward new sounds- Able to name a few colors
- Recognizes own name- Draws a circle
- May cut first tooth- Gets dressed without help
- Laughs out loud- Separates fairly easily from parents
- Likes to play3 Years:
6 Months:- Begins conflict resolution
- Turns toward sounds and voices- Able to dress and undress themselves
- Blows bubbles- Cooperates and shares with other children
- Changes objects from hand-to-hand and from- Engages in pretend play, such as being "mom" or
hand-to-mouth"dad"
- Sits with little support- Demonstrates independent behavior
- Begins to eat solid foods- Tends to be toilet trained
7 to 9 Months:4 Years:
- Sits without support and changes position- Wants to be like their friends and please their
- Reaches for objects with a sweeping motionfriends
- Imitates sounds (babbles)- Can distinguish fantasy from reality
- Begins to make word-like sounds- May enjoy singing, dancing and acting
- Begins to lunge forward and crawl- Able to comply more with rules
- Stands or cruises while holding onto furniture- Can be demanding or eagerly cooperative
- Points at objects, bangs objects together and5 Years:
passes objects from hand-to-hand- Runs on tiptoes
- Picks things up via a thumb-finger pinching-type- Understands concept of "yesterday," "today"
graspand "tomorrow"
10 to 12 Months:- Prints capital letters
- Responds to their name- Recognizes their name when printed
- Waves goodbye- Uses sentence structure with correct grammar
- Pull themselves up into a standing position- Plays well with others
- Crawls well, cruises and takes a few steps- Able to put their shoes on the correct feet
- Understands the concept of "no"To reiterate, this is an estimated timeline of
- Can nod their head to indicate "yes"developmental achievements for your child as all
- Uses gestures to indicate what they want orchildren develop differently. The purpose of this
needtimeline is to provide an indication as to how your
- Able to say "mama" and "dada"child should be developing from birth through age
1 to 1 ½ Years:5.
- Able to walk without support