Understanding typical child developmental milestones is important for parents and caregivers and may help them to identify possible delays that should be evaluated by a professional.  

Developmental milestones are divided into various categories:

• social and emotional
• language/communication
• cognitive
• movement/physical development

Developmental milestones are things that most children can do by a certain age, but it is important to note that every child is different and will do things on a slightly different timeline.  Not reaching a milestone by the corresponding age does not necessarily indicate that there is a problem with the child’s development but can be discussed with a healthcare provider or child development professional.  

Developmental Milestones As Listed by the CDC

The Centers for Disease Control lists child developmental milestones as follows:

Developmental Milestones at 2 Months

Social and Emotional:

• Smiles at people
• Can briefly calm themselves
• Tries to look at parent

Language/Communication:

• Coos, makes gurgling sounds
• Turns head towards sounds

Cognitive:

• Pays attention to faces
• Begins to follow things with eyes and recognize faces
• Begins to act bored (cries, fusses) if activity doesn’t change

Movement/Physical Development:

• Can hold head up, begins to push up when lying on tummy
• Makes smoother movement with arms and legs

Developmental Milestones at 4 Months

Social and Emotional:

• Smiles spontaneously, especially at people
• Likes to play with people and might cry when play stops
• Copies some movements and facial expressions, like smiling and frowning

Language/Communication:

• Begins to babble
• Babbles with expression and copies sounds they hear
• Cries in different ways to show hunger, pain, or tiredness

Cognitive:

• Lets you know if they are happy or sad
• Uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it
• Follows moving things with eyes from side to side
• Watches faces closely

Movement/Physical Development:

• Holds head steady, unsupported
• Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
• May be able to roll over from tummy to back
• Brings hands to mouth

Developmental Milestones at 6 Months

Social and Emotional:

• Knows familiar faces and begins to know if someone is a stranger
• Likes to play with others, especially parents
• Responds to other people’s emotions
• Likes to look at self in mirror

Language/Communication:

• Strings vowels together when babbling (“ah”,”eh”, “oh”)
• Begins to saw consonant sounds (“m”, “b”)
• Responds to own name
• Makes sounds to show joy and displeasure

Cognitive:

• Looks around at things nearby
• Shows curiosity about things, tries to get things that are out of reach
• Begins to pass things from one hand to the other

Movement/Physical Development:

• Rolls over in both directions (front to back, back to front) 
• Begins to sit without support
• When standing, supports weight on legs and might bounce

Developmental Milestones at 9 Months

Social and Emotional:

• May be afraid of strangers
• May be clingy with familiar adults
• Has favorite toys

Language/Communication:

• Understands “no”
• Copies sounds and gestures of others
• Uses fingers to point at things

Cognitive:

• Looks for things they see you hides
• Puts things in their mouth
• Plays peek-a-boo
• Picks up thinks like cereal o’s between thumb and index finger

Movement/Physical Development:

• Stands, holding on
• Can get into sitting position
• Sits without support
• Pulls to stand
• Crawls 

Developmental Milestones at 1 Year

Social and Emotional:

• Cries when mom or dad leaves
• Shows fear in some situations
• Hands you a book when they want to hear a story

Language/Communication:

• Responds to simple spoken requests
• Uses simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye”
• Makes sounds with changes in tone (sounds more like speech)

Cognitive:

• Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container
• Follows simple directions like “pick up the toy”

Movement/Physical Development:

• Pulls up to stand, walks holding on to furniture (“cruising”)
• May take a few steps holding on
• May stand alone

Developmental Milestones at 18 Months

Social and Emotional:

• Likes to hand things to others to play
• May cling to caregivers in new situations
• Plays simple pretend, such as feeding a doll
• Points to show others something interesting

Language/Communication:

• Says several single words
• Says and shakes head “no”
• Points to show someone what they want

Cognitive:

• Knows what ordinary things are for; for example, telephone, brush, spoon
• Points to one body part
• Scribbles on their own
• Can follow 1-step verbal commands without and gestures; for example, sits when you say “sit down”

Movement/Physical Development:

• Walks alone
• May walk up steps and run
• Drinks from a cup
• Eats with a spoon

Developmental Milestones at 2 Years

Social and Emotional:

• Copies others, especially adults and older children
• Gets excited when with other children
• Shows defiant behavior (doing what they have been told not to do)

Language/Communication:

• Points to things or pictures when they are named
• Says sentences with 2 to 4 words
• Follows simple instructions

Cognitive:

• Begins to sort shapes and colors
• Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books
• Plays simple make-believe games
• Follows two step instructions such as “pick up your shoes and put them in the closet”

Movement/Physical Development:

• Stands on tiptoe
• Begins to run
• Climbs onto and down from furniture without help

Developmental Milestones at 3 Years

Social and Emotional:

• Takes turns in games
• Shows concern for crying friend
• Shows a wide range of emotions
• Understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”

Language/Communication:

• Follows instructions with 2 or 3 steps
• Can name most familiar things
• Says first name, age, and sex
• Carries on a conversation using 2 to 3 sentences

Cognitive:

• Plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people
• Does puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces
• Turns book pages one at a time
• Screws and unscrews jar lids or turns door handle

Movement/Physical Development:

• Climbs well
• Runs easily
• Walks up and down stairs, one foot on each step

Developmental Milestones at 4 Years

Social and Emotional:

• Is more and more creative with make-believe play
• Cooperates with other children
• Talks about what they like and what they are interested in

Language/Communication:

• Sings a song or says a poem from memory such as the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or the “Wheels on the Bus”
• Tells stories
• Can say first and last name

Cognitive:

• Starts to understand time
• Remembers parts of a story
• Draws a person with 2 to 4 body parts
• Plays board or card games

Movement/Physical Development:

• 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

Developmental Milestones at 5 Years

Social and Emotional:

• Wants to please friends
• More likely to agree with rules
• Can tell what’s real and what’s make believe 
• Shows more independence (for example, may visit a next door neighbor by themselves)

Language/Communication:

• Speaks very clearly
• Tells a simple story using a few sentences
• Uses future tense; for example, “grandma will be here”

Cognitive:

• Counts 10 or more things
• Can print some letters and numbers
• Copies a triangle and other geometric shapes

Movement/Physical Development:

• Hops, may be able to skip
• Can do a somersault
• Can use toilet on their own