DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: 3 Years

Milestones matter! How your child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves offer important clues about his or her development. Check the milestones your child has reached by age 3.

Physical:

Climbs well

Runs easily

Pedals a tricycle (3-wheel bike)

Walks up and down stairs, one foot on each step

Mental:

Can work toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts

Plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people

Does puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces

Understands what “two” means

Copies a circle with a pencil or crayon

Turns book pages one at a time

Builds towers of more than 6 blocks

Screws and unscrews jar lids or turns a door handle

Social:

Copies adults and friends

Shows affection for friends without prompting

Takes turns in games

Shows concern for a crying friend

Understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”

Shows a wide range of emotions

Separates easily from mom and dad

May get upset with major changes in routine

Dresses and undresses self

Follows instructions with 2 or 3 steps

Can name most familiar things

Understands words like “in,” “on,” and “under”

Says first name, age, and sex

Names a friend

Says words like “I,” “me,” “we,” and “you” and some plurals (cars, dogs, cats)

Talks well enough for strangers to understand most of the time

Carries on a conversation using 2 to 3 sentences

Additional (tips for caretakers):

You can help your child learn and grow. Talk, read, sing, and play together every day. Below are some activities to enjoy with your 3-year-old child today.

Go to playgroups with your child or other places where there are other children, to encourage getting along with others.

Work with your child to solve the problem when he is upset.

Talk about your child’s emotions. For example, say, “I can tell you feel mad because you threw the puzzle piece.” Encourage your child to identify feelings in books.

Set rules and limits for your child, and stick to them. If your child breaks a rule, give him a time out for 30 seconds to 1 minute in a chair or in his room. Praise your child for following the rules.

Give your child instructions with 2 or 3 steps.

For example, “Go to your room and get your shoes and coat.”

Read to your child every day. Ask your child to point to things in the pictures and repeat words after you.

Give your child an “activity box” with paper, crayons, and coloring books. Color and draw lines and shapes with your child.

Play matching games. Ask your child to find objects in books or around the house that are the same.

Play counting games. Count body parts, stairs, and other things you use or see every day.

Hold your child’s hand going up and down stairs. When she can go up and down easily, encourage her to use the railing.

Play outside with your child. Go to the park or hiking trail. Allow your child to play freely and without structured activities.

This information was obtained from the CDC’s Developmental Milestones Checklist. To find the original version, please visit www.cdc.gov

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: 4 Years

Milestones matter! How your child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves offer important clues about his or her development. Check the milestones your child has reached by age 4.

Physical:

Hops and stands on one foot up to 2 seconds

Catches a bounced ball most of the time

Pours, cuts with supervision and mashes own food

Mental:

Names some colors and some numbers

Understands the idea of counting

Starts to understand time

Remembers parts of a story

Understands the idea of “same” and “different”

Draws a person with 2 to 4 body parts

Uses scissors

Starts to copy some capital letters

Plays board or card games

Tells you what he thinks is going to happen next in a book

Social:

Enjoys doing new things

Plays “Mom” and “Dad”

Is more and more creative with make-believe play

Would rather play with other children than by himself

Cooperates with other children

Often can’t tell what’s real and what’s make-believe

Talks about what she likes and what she is interested in

Knows some basic rules of grammar, such as correctly using “he” and “she

Sings a song from memory like the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or the “Wheels on the Bus”

Tells stories

Can say first and last name

Additional (tips for caretakers):

You can help your child learn and grow. Talk, read, sing, and play together every day. Below are some activities to enjoy with your 4-year-old child today.

Play make-believe with your child. Let her be the leader and copy what she is doing.

Suggest your child pretend to play an upcoming event that might make him nervous, like going to preschool or staying overnight at a grandparent’s house.

Give your child simple choices whenever you can. Let your child choose what to wear, play, or eat for a snack. Limit choices to 2 or 3.

During play dates, let your child solve her own problems with friends, but be nearby to help out if needed.

Encourage your child to use words, share toys, and take turns playing games of one another’s choice.

Give your child toys to build imagination, like dress-up clothes, kitchen sets, and blocks.

Use good grammar when speaking to your child. Instead of “Mommy wants you to come here,” say, “I want you to come here.”

Use words like “first,” “second,” and “finally” when talking about everyday activities. This will help your child learn about sequence of events.

Take time to answer your child’s “why” questions. If you don’t know the answer, say “I don’t know,” or help your child find the answer in a book, on the Internet, or from another adult.

When you read with your child, ask him to tell you what happened in the story as you go.

When you read with your child, ask him to tell you what happened in the story as you go.

Teach your child to play outdoor games like tag, follow the leader, and duck, duck, goose.

Play your child’s favorite music and dance with your child. Take turns copying each other’s moves.

This information was obtained from the CDC’s Developmental Milestones Checklist. To find the original version, please visit www.cdc.gov

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: 5 Years

Milestones matter! How your child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves offer important clues about his or her development. Check the milestones your child has reached by age 5.

Physical:

Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer

Hops; may be able to skip

Can do a somersault

Uses a fork and spoon and sometimes a table knife

Can use the toilet on her own

Swings and climbs

Mental:

Counts 10 or more things

Can draw a person with at least 6 body parts

Can print some letters or numbers

Copies a triangle and other geometric shapes

Knows about things used every day, like money and food

Social:

Wants to please friends

Wants to be like friends

More likely to agree with rules

Likes to sing, dance, and act

Is aware of gender

Can tell what’s real and what’s make-believe

Shows more independence (for example, may visit a next-door neighbor by himself [adult supervision is still needed])

Is sometimes demanding and sometimes very cooperative

Speaks very clearly

Tells a simple story using full sentences

Uses future tense; for example, “Grandma will be here.”

Says name and address

Additional (tips for caretakers):

You can help your child learn and grow. Talk, read, sing, and play together every day. Below are some activities to enjoy with your 5-year-old child today.

Continue to arrange play dates, trips to the park, or play groups. Give your child more freedom to choose activities to play with friends, and let your child work out problems on her own.

Your child might start to talk back or use profanity (swear words) as a way to feel independent.

Do not give a lot of attention to this talk, other than a brief time out. Instead, praise your child when he asks for things nicely and calmly takes “no” for an answer.

This is a good time to talk to your child about safe touch. No one should touch “private parts” except doctors or nurses during an exam or parents when they are trying to keep the child clean.

Teach your child her address and phone number.

When reading to your child, ask him to predict what will happen next in the story.

Encourage your child to “read” by looking at the pictures and telling the story.

Teach your child time concepts like morning, afternoon, evening, today, tomorrow, and yesterday. Start teaching the days of the week.

Explore your child’s interests in your community. For example, if your child loves animals, visit the zoo or petting farm. Go to the library or look on the Internet to learn about these topics.

Keep a handy box of crayons, paper, paint, child scissors, and paste. Encourage your child to draw and make art projects with different supplies.

Play with toys that encourage your child to put things together.

Teach your child how to pump her legs back and forth on a swing.

Help your child climb on the monkey bars.

Go on walks with your child, do a scavenger hunt in your neighborhood or park, help him ride a bike with training wheels (wearing a helmet).

This information was obtained from the CDC’s Developmental Milestones Checklist. To find the original version, please visit www.cdc.gov