Physical
Physical Milestones For Your Child
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Physical: Overview (0-6 Months)
Physical development includes everything from the growth of the five senses–vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell–to a child’s overall ability
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Touch: Feels Pain (0-1 Month)
It was once believed that premature newborns could not feel pain. Today, however, researchers have located specific pathways in the
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Vision: Color Vision Is Limited (0-1 Month)
Newborns do see the world in some color, but they have trouble discriminating blues from greens and reds from yellows.
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Can Take Swipes at Dangling Objects with Hands (1-5 Months)
In their first month or two, babies attempt to reach for dangling toys or other interesting objects (this is called
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Vision: Attracted to High-Contrast Patterns or Edges (0-2 Months)
Several experiments show that babies will turn toward patterns with high contrast and away from simple patterns with little contrast.
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Vision: Focuses on Objects from 8 to 15 Inches Away (0-2 Months)
Babies are born with limited vision, but soon after birth, they can focus on objects about 8 to 15 inches
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Vision: Tracks Slowly Moving Objects (0-2 Months)
Although vision is limited at first, moving objects catch newborns’ attention. Babies are likely to track an object with their eyes
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Hearing: Well-Developed, except for Very Quiet Sounds (0-3 Months)
Even before birth, babies have been shown to respond to sound stimuli within a limited range of sound frequencies. At
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Smell: Prefers Sweet Smells over Bitter or Acidic Smells (0-3 Months)
Newborns are attracted to the smell of breastmilk, and experiments show that they will vigorously turn away from bitter or
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Smell: Recognizes Scent of Mother’s Breastmilk (0-6 Months)
Young babies are attracted to the scent of their mothers’ breastmilk and prefer it to other women’s milk. In one
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Taste: Prefers Sweet over Bitter Tastes (0-3 Months)
Infants are born with some basic taste preferences. In one research study, babies would suck faster and stronger for sweet
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Displays Rooting and Sucking Reflexes (0-4 Months)
Babies are born with a variety of innate reflexes. The rooting reflex prompts a baby to turn his head from
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Can Raise the Head from a Prone Position (0-2 Months)
Soon after birth, most babies can raise their heads for brief periods when lying prone (on their stomachs). This is
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Vision: Can Discriminate among Basic Colors (1-5 Months)
Infants soon after birth have limited color vision, and they have trouble discriminating blues from greens and reds from yellows.
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Vision: Can Focus on Objects up to 3 Feet Away (1-5 Months)
By the end of a baby’s first month, she can focus briefly on objects up to three feet away. Over
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Brings Hand to Mouth (1-3 Months)
During the first few months of life, babies persistently attempt to bring their hands to their mouths but have not
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Opens and Shuts Hands (1-3 Months)
During the first 3 months of life, babies’ hands and arms develop rapidly. Initially, their hands are often tightly clenched
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Grasps and Shakes Hand Toys (1-4 Months)
Between their first and third months of life, babies gain the skills to grasp and shake hand toys; they may
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Vision: Can Use Movement to Identify Objects (1-5 Months)
One of the challenges babies face is discriminating against separate objects from what surrounds them. Experiments have shown that by
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Touch: Can Distinguish between Lumpy and Smooth Objects with Mouth (1-7 Months)
Within their first few months, babies can integrate some types of sensory information. One experiment showed that babies can match
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Can Reach Voluntarily for Things (3-6 Months)
In their early months, infants may reach for things, but these early attempts (called pre-reaches) are generally uncoordinated swipes at
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Vision: Depth Perception Begins to Develop (3-7 Months)
Babies as young as 2 to 3 months have shown some form of depth perception. One method researchers have used
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Vision: Develops Full-Color Vision (4-7 Months)
Color vision doesn’t fully develop until about four months. After four months, babies can distinguish between even closely related colors,
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May Sit Easily without Support (5-7 Months)
Babies’ growing curiosity and abilities lead them to try new things, so parents and caregivers should arrange the environment to
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Can Reach Out and Grasp Moving Objects (5-8 Months)
Around 5 months, most babies become more skilled in their reaching and grasping attempts. This includes the ability to grasp
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Physical: Overview (6-12 Months)
Between 6 and 12 months, babies reach many important milestones. Most can sit without support and eventually become mobile, from
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Can Sit Alone (7-10 Months)
At this age, most babies are stable and can sit for longer periods of time. This is a major achievement,
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Crawls Forward on Belly (8-10 Months)
Between 8 and 12 months of age, babies are in constant motion. They arch their necks to investigate their surroundings when
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Lets Objects Go Voluntarily (8-11 Months)
As babies gain the skills to open and close their fingers, they often delight in dropping and throwing small objects. They
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Uses Pincer Grasp (8-11 Months)
At 8 months, most babies have not acquired the hand and finger skills to use the pincer grasp, instead clumsily
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Places Objects Into and Out of Containers (8-12 Months)
As they approach 12 months, babies use their improved coordination to thoroughly investigate the objects they encounter, picking them up,
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Capable of Poking with Index Finger (8-13 Months)
Most babies around 12 months use their improved coordination to thoroughly investigate the objects they encounter, picking them up, banging
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Walks Holding onto Furniture (9-11 Months)
Although crawling gives babies a new perspective on the world around them, they observe people walking and strive to do
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Stands Alone Easily (10-12 Months)
Babies will learn to stand momentarily without support until they have enough confidence to stand for longer periods and eventually
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Begins Walking Alone (10-13 Months)
At first, a baby may walk with his feet wide apart to help with balance. As he becomes more confident,
Physical: Overview (12-24 Months)
In their second year, children’s sensory abilities reach full maturity, and their first wobbly steps progress to efficient walking, standing
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Uses Thumb and Forefinger to Explore Objects and Turn Knobs and Dials, etc. (12-20 Months)
Toward the end of the first year, babies become more skilled at using their thumbs and forefingers to investigate objects.
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Capable of Copying Simple Horizontal and Vertical Lines and Building Towers (14-24 Months)
By the end of the second year, children are gaining more and more control over simple movements and integrating these
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Can Walk Up and Down Stairs Holding On to Support (15-24 Months)
Approximately 6 months after their first steps, most toddlers adopt a much more mature walking style, keeping their feet closer
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Can Scribble with a Crayon (16-20 Months)
Throughout their second year, children become more skilled with their hands. This includes being able to hold crayons and scribble
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Can Turn Over Containers to Pour Out Contents (16-24 Months)
Although it’s easy to see improvements in large motor skills, one-year-olds also improve their ability to use their hands and
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May Begin to Show Hand Preference but May Not Fully Decide for Several More Years (17-33 Months)
Most infants show no clear hand preference (left- or right-handedness) for years. Instead, many seem to alternate between favoring the
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Masters the Skill of Unassisted Walking (18-24 Months)
Most babies start walking unassisted sometime between 12 and 18 months; mastering this skill is the major physical milestone of
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Begins to Run (20-24 Months)
Approximately 6 months after their first steps, toddlers develop a more mature walking style. They keep their feet closer together
Physical: Overview (2-3 Years)
By age 3, children can execute complex movements like unscrewing lids, turning pages one at a time, and copying vertical,
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A Good Helper (2-3 Years)
Will wonders never cease? There is no magic moment when children become more likely to follow directions. But at around
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Can Make Vertical, Horizontal, and Circular Strokes with Pen or Crayon (2-3 Years)
During the second year of life, toddlers rapidly develop hand and finger skills. Drawing is a major accomplishment during this period,
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Capable of Turning Rotating Handles, such as Doorknobs (26-37 Months)
Toddlers rapidly develop hand and finger skills during their second year of life. They can now manipulate small objects with
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Capable of Walking Up and Down Stairs, Alternating Feet (27-36 Months)
During their third year, children are in constant motion–running, kicking, climbing, and jumping. They accomplish several major motor milestones during
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Capable of Holding a Pencil in Writing Position (28-38 Months)
During the second year of life, toddlers rapidly develop hand and finger skills. Drawing is a major accomplishment during this
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Can Screw and Unscrew Jars and Lids (29-36 Months)
Toddlers rapidly develop hand and finger skills during their second year of life. They can now manipulate small objects with ease,
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Capable of Turning Pages One at a Time (29-37 Months)
Toddlers rapidly develop hand and finger skills during their second year of life. They can now manipulate small objects with ease,
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Bends Over Easily without Falling (30-36 Months)
Two-year-olds have adopted the heel-to-toe adult walking style instead of the characteristically stiff, spread-legged gait of young toddlers. Their growing coordination
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Capable of Pedaling a Tricycle (30-36 Months)
Children this age are generally very active, but this activity level will strengthen their body and help develop coordination. References
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Runs Easily (32-39 Months)
During their third year, children are in constant motion–running, kicking, climbing, and jumping. They accomplish several major motor milestones during this
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Physical: Overview (3-5 Years)
Children continue to develop their fine motor skills between years 3 and 5. Most learn to draw shapes and people,
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Becomes Primarily Left-Handed or Right-Handed (38-48 Months)
Most infants show no clear hand preference (left- or right-handedness) in their early years. Instead, many seem to alternate between
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Capable of Standing on One Foot for Up to Five Seconds (39-47 Months)
By age 3, preschoolers have developed large motor skills enough to participate in organized games and some sports. They are now
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Capable of Using Scissors with Some Dexterity (40-48 Months)
Children develop muscular control and concentration to master some precise hand and finger movements during their fourth year of life.
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Goes Up and Down Stairs without Support (40-48 Months)
By age 3, preschoolers have developed the large motor skills to control and direct many of their movements. Many are
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May Begin to Copy Some Capital Letters (41-48 Months)
At this age, children are developing both muscle control and concentration that will help them master more challenging finger and
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Draws a Person with Two to Four Body Parts (41-50 Months)
Children develop muscular control and concentration to master some precise hand and finger movements during their fourth year of life. Most
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Can Throw a Ball Overhand (42-49 Months)
By age 3, preschoolers have developed large motor skills enough to participate in organized games and some sports. Many are
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Can Move Forward and Backward with Ease (42-51 Months)
By age 3, preschoolers have well-developed large motor skills. When learning to walk, most toddlers have difficulty moving backward. At
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Copies Triangles, Squares, and Other Geometric Patterns (49-60 Months)
During their fifth year of life, preschoolers’ coordination and ability to use their hands is almost fully developed, and they
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Capable of Dressing and Undressing without Assistance (50-60 Months)
During their fifth year of life, preschoolers’ coordination and ability to use their hands is almost fully developed, and they
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Hops, Somersaults, Swings, and Climbs (51-59 Months)
Four-year-olds have the coordination and balance of adults and demonstrate their skills by descending stairs without the handrail, standing on
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Stands on One Foot for Ten Seconds or Longer (52-58 Months)
Four-year-olds have the coordination and balance of adults and can stand on one foot for ten seconds or longer. They
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Draws a Person with Body, Some Details (53-57 Months)
During their fifth year of life, preschoolers’ coordination and ability to use their hands is almost fully developed, and they