0-36 months development
3 months
Gross motor development
- Head control, moves head left and right when lying and raises head when lying on tummy
- Rolls partially to the side when lying on back
Fine motor development
- Brings hands within range of eyes and mouth
Language development
- Responds to familiar sounds and voices
- Smiles and babbles
Social play
- Eyes follow moving objects or person
- Sensitive to touch, holding, stroking & rocking lightly
- Perfers human faces, black-and-white or high-contrast patterns
- Keeps quiet when being held or picked up, cries to get attention
6 months
Gross motor development
- Able to sit up with support
- When supported upon standing, baby’s legs can support their body weight. May bounce.
Fine motor development
- Palmer grasp for toys
- Transfers things hand to hand
Language development
- Makes different sounds like “baba”, “mama”, “gaga”
- Responds to sounds by making sounds
- Uses sounds to express emotions
Social play
- Interests in self in the mirror
- Appears joyful when interacting with people
- Puts things in mouth
9 months
Gross motor development
- Able to sit without support
- Crawls
- Able to stand while holding onto supporting objects
Fine motor development
- Picks up puffs using thumb and index finger
- Bang things on table
Language development
- Use finger to point at things
- Jargoning (From 10m)
Social play
- When an object disappears from the sight of the baby, baby looks for the object
- Stranger anxiety
- Plays peekaboo
12 months
Gross motor development
- Pulls up to stand with support
- Walks with support
- Might take two or three steps without support
Fine motor development
- Pokes with index finger
- Puts objects into and take objects out of container
Language development
- Understands “No”
- Responds to simple verbal requests with gestural cues
- Tries to imitate words
Social play
- Enjoys imitating people during play
- Begins to use things correctly, such as drinking from cups, brushing hairs
- Finger feeds
18 months
Gross motor development
- Walks steadily alone
- Squat to pick up objects
Fine motor development
- Turns pages when reading
- Scribbles with crayons
Language development
- Follows simple instructions without cues
- Says 8-10 words that you can understand
- Points to or uses a word to express what he wants
Social play
- Identifies objects in the picture books
- Directs another’s attention to object or actions
- Self feed with spoon, hold a cup to drink
24 months
Gross motor development
- Begins to run and jump
- Kicks a ball
Fine motor development
- Copies straight lines on his/ her own
- Builds tower of 6-8 blocks
Language development
- Follows two-step instructions
- Says many single words
- Says word combinations
Social play
- Sorts by shapes and colours
- Pretend play emerging
- More excited about company of other children
30 months
Gross motor development
- Throws the ball overhead and catches with both hands
- Runs and kicks a ball
Fine motor development
- Screws and unscrews the jar lid
- Unbottons the clothes
Language development
- Understands preposition like “in/out”, such as “put the spoon in the cup”
- Says simple sentences containing 3-4 words
Social play
- Begins to share toys with friends
- Knows genders
36 months
Gross motor development
- Stands with one leg for 3 seconds or longer
- Walks upstairs and downstairs (holding or not holding onto rail)
Fine motor development
- Copies circles
- Uses scissor to cut
- Thread big beads
Language development
- Follows instructions with 2 or 3-step commands
- Understands more than 200 single words and speaks short sentences with more than 4 words
- Carries on a conversation with 2-3 sentences
Social play
- Says first name, age, and gender
- Shows concerns to crying friends
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC’s Developmental Milestones. January 22, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
- The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. April 29, 2019. How much sleep do I need?. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/sleep/conditioninfo/how-much
- World Health Organization. April 2019. Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/325147/WHO-NMH-PND-2019.4-eng.pdf
