Milestones/Education

Your child grows in their own unique way, and this list is here to give you a general understanding of milestones.

Think of it as a helpful guide not a checklist!

You can also use milestones as a great way to reflect on your child’s development and find opportunities to encourage exploration. If you have concerns, checking in with your pediatrician is always a good idea.

Milestone areas

Social & Emotional

Your child recognizes feelings and plays with others. Support their development with interactive games and sharing activities.

Thinking Skills

Your child problem-solves and learns new things. Stimulate their thinking with puzzles, stacking blocks, and imaginative play.

Language

Your child babbles, talks, and understands. Encourage their growth through books, songs, and conversation.

Development

Your child moves, crawls, and walks. Boost their coordination with tummy time, outdoor play, and fun activities.

Activities

We’ve added examples and activities for each milestone to help you support your child’s growth.

0-2 Months

0-2 Months


Social-Emotional: Your baby enjoys being held and recognizes familiar voices. Example: Calms down when you talk or sing. Activity: Hold and talk to your baby often.

Thinking Skills: Your baby watches objects and faces. Example: Follows a toy with their eyes. Activity: Hold your baby in front of a mirror and let them watch their own reflection.

Language: Your baby makes little sounds, like cooing. Example: Says “ooh” or “ahh.” Activity: Copy your baby’s sounds and talk back.

Development: Your baby kicks legs and grabs fingers. Example: Holds onto your finger. Activity: Give your baby soft things to hold, do tummy time.

4-6 Months

4-6 Months


Social-Emotional: Your baby recognizes you and loves attention. Example: Laughs when mom or dad plays with them. Activity: Play simple games like making silly faces.

Thinking Skills: Your baby begins to understand cause and effect. Example: Drops a toy and looks for it. Activity: Let your baby explore with safe household objects.

Language: Your baby experiments with different sounds. Example: Babbles, saying “ba” and “da.” Activity: Repeat your baby’s sounds and talk in simple sentences.

Development: Your baby rolls over and reaches for things. Example: Pushes up with arms. Activity: Give your baby space to roll and explore.

8-10 Months

8-10 Months


Social-Emotional
Your baby enjoys being held and recognizes familiar voices. Example: Calms down when you talk or sing.’

Activity
Hold and talk to your baby often.
Thinking Skills: Your baby watches objects and faces. Example: Follows a toy with their eyes. Activity: Hold your baby in front of a mirror and let them watch their own reflection.

Language
Your baby makes little sounds, like cooing. Example: Says “ooh” or “ahh.” Activity: Copy your baby’s sounds and talk back.

Development
Your baby kicks legs and grabs fingers. Example: Holds onto your finger. Activity: Give your baby soft things to hold, do tummy time.

1-2 Years

1-2 Years


Social-Emotional: Your child plays simple games and enjoys attention. Example: Brings toys to you to play. Activity: Play together with stacking blocks.

Thinking Skills: Your child learns by exploring. Example: Opens drawers to see what’s inside. Activity: Provide child-safe items to explore.

Language: Your child says a few words and points to things they want. Example: Says “milk” or “ball.” Activity: Name objects during playtime to build vocabulary.

Development: Your child walks, climbs, and starts running. Example: Walks while holding furniture. Activity: Encourage movement with fun games.

3-4 Years

3-4 Years

Social-Emotional: Your child plays with others and shows emotions. Example: Says “I’m happy” or “I’m sad.” Activity: Talk about emotions and help your child understand feelings.

Thinking Skills: Your child learns to follow simple instructions. Example: Can bring their shoes when asked. Activity: Give two-step directions (e.g., “Pick up the toy and put it in the box”).

Language: Your child speaks in full sentences and asks questions. Example: Asks “Why is the sky blue?” Activity: Answer their questions with simple explanations.

Development: Your child climbs well and rides a tricycle. Example: Can climb in playground. Activity: Encourage movement through outdoor play.

2-4 Months

2-4 Months

Social-Emotional: Your baby smiles and enjoys playing. Example: Smiles when looking at familiar faces. Activity: Play peek-a-boo or make funny faces.

Thinking Skills: Your baby looks around more and follows moving objects. Example: Watches a toy move across a table. Activity: Hold your baby in front of a mirror and let them watch their own reflection.

Language: Your baby makes more sounds and laughs. Example: Giggles when tickled. Activity: Talk to your baby often and repeat sounds they make.

Development: Your baby reaches for toys and pushes up on arms. Example: Tries to grab objects. Activity: Place toys nearby to encourage reaching.

6-8 Months

6-8 Months

Social-Emotional: Your baby reacts to different emotions in voices. Example: Smiles at happy voices, looks sad at upset voices. Activity: Use different tones when talking and singing.

Thinking Skills: Your baby looks for hidden toys. Example: Searches for a toy under a blanket. Activity: Hide objects and let your baby find them.

Language: Your baby responds to their name. Example: Turns when called. Activity: Say your baby’s name often.

Development: Your baby sits up and starts to crawl. Example: Rocks back and forth on hands and knees. Activity: Place toys a little far away to encourage crawling.

10-12 Months

10-12 Months

Social-Emotional: Your child prefers familiar people, may have separation anxiety. Example: Showing attachment to you as their caregiver. Activity: Play peek-a-boo, encourage waving and clapping to build interaction.

Thinking Skills: Your child explores objects in new ways, like pushing buttons or stacking items. Example: Figuring out how to open a box or lift a flap. Activity: Provide toys with moving parts, busy boards, or stacking cups to enhance problem-solving.

Language: Your child responds to their name, understands simple words, may say first words like “mama” or “dada.” Example: Babbling with inflection, like they’re having a conversation. Activity: Talk often, read books together, sing songs, and point out objects to build vocabulary.

Development: Your child pulls up to stand, may take first steps, strengthens grip. Example: Pulling up on furniture and attempting to stand alone. Activity: Offer push toys for walking practice, let them grab finger foods to refine coordination.

2-3 Years

2-3 Years

Social-Emotional: Your child enjoys playing with others. Example: Tries to copy adults or older kids. Activity: Play pretend games, like cooking or driving.

Thinking Skills: Your child begins problem-solving. Example: Figures out how to stack blocks to make a tower. Activity: Provide puzzles or sorting games.

Language: Your child speaks in short phrases. Example: Says “want cookie” or “go outside.” Activity: Read books together and ask questions.

Development: Your child runs well and jumps. Example: Loves running around the house. Activity: Play outside games like hopping on one foot.

4-5 Years

4-5 Years

Social-Emotional: Your child makes friends and understands sharing. Example: Plays pretend with friends. Activity: Teach taking turns with games.

Thinking Skills: Your child understands problem-solving. Example: Figures out how to open a tricky jar lid. Activity: Encourage your child to solve small problems on their own.

Language: Your child uses full sentences and tells short stories. Example: Describes what happened in their day. Activity: Ask about their day and encourage storytelling.

Development: Your child hops, skips, and balances on one foot. Example: Runs and jumps easily. Activity: Play movement games like “Simon Says.”

Check Out More Resources

If you want to learn more about milestones, check out these websites for great resources!

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
pathways.org – Track Baby’s Progress