Key Childhood Development Milestones

Girl playing with dolls in front of dollhouse


Childhood Milestones By Age

From sitting up on their own to recognizing letters and numbers, kids’ early years are filled with important developmental milestones. So much so that it can leave parents feeling overwhelmed and pressured to help their kids “check all the boxes.” But take that pressure off – the good news is that with a supportive environment, most kids reach their physical, cognitive, and social milestones just fine. Even so, knowing the basic milestones for each age group can help you determine if you should ask your child’s pediatrician about their development. While it seems like apps, books, and information on babies’ milestones are everywhere, finding info developmental milestones for toddlers and preschoolers can be a bit tougher.

To make things simple, here are some of the childhood developmental milestones the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics use as markers of healthy development for kids ages 2 and up.

2 Years

Social & Emotional

  • Copies others
  • Shows interest in other children. (At this age, they still mainly play near other kids but will also start playing with them occasionally. For more on the difference between the two, check out our article on Types of Play).
  • Growing in independence
  • Shows defiant behavior (Yep. Though it’s still important to set clear boundaries, pushing those boundaries is actually an important part of your child’s development.

Language & Communication

  • Can point to objects/ pictures as you name them. Can name some items in a picture book
  • Knows names of familiar people/ body parts/ objects
  • Says 2 - 4 word sentences
  • Follows simple instructions

Cognitive

  • Finds things even when hidden under two or three covers
  • Begins to sort shapes and colors (They don’t have to be perfect at this by any means!)
  • Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books
  • Plays simple make-believe games
  • Builds towers of 4 or more blocks

Physical

  • Can stand on tiptoes
  • Kicks a ball
  • Begins to run (Toddling, non-graceful runs are A-Okay at this age!)
  • Climbs onto and down from furniture without help
  • Walks up and down stairs while holding rails/ hands for support

3 Years

Social & Emotional

  • Shows affection and concern for friends
  • Understands possessive pronouns (i.e. mine, his, hers, etc.)
  • Takes turns during games
  • Can usually separate from parents/ main caregivers easily
  • Dresses and undresses self

Language & Communication

  • Follows 2 -3 step instructions
  • Can name most familiar things
  • Understands prepositions (i.e. in, on, around, etc.)
  • Names friends
  • Uses pronouns (i.e I, me, we, etc.) and some plurals
  • Others can understand their speech most of the time
  • Converses with 2 - 3 sentences

Cognitive

  • Plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people
  • Complete 3 - 4 piece puzzles
  • Understands the concept of the number “2”
  • Can copy a circle with a pencil or crayon (It doesn’t need to be a perfect circle!)
  • Builds towers of more than 6 blocks
  • Turns jar lids and door handles

Physical

  • Climbs well
  • Runs easily
  • Pedals a tricycle (3-wheel bike)
  • Climbs onto and down from furniture without help
  • Walks up and downstairs, one foot on each step

4 Years

Social & Emotional

  • Enjoys doing new things
  • Is increasingly creative with make-believe play
  • Prefers to play with other children over playing alone
  • Cooperates with other children (Usually… of course, some disagreements are inevitable!)
  • Talks about likes and interests

Language & Communication

  • Knows some basic rules of grammar, such as correctly using “he” and “she”
  • Sings or says songs and poems from memory
  • Tells stories
  • Can say first and last name

Cognitive

  • Names some colors and some numbers
  • Understands the idea of counting (even if they don’t count perfectly yet)
  • Begins to understand time (This doesn’t mean they can tell time yet. Rather, they start to loosely understand concepts of days, hours, past, and present).
  • Can remember and retell parts of a story
  • Understands concepts of “same” and “different”
  • Can use scissors
  • Can draw a person with 2 - 4 body parts
  • Copies some capital letters
  • Tells you what he thinks is going to happen next in a book

Physical

  • Hops/ stands on one foot for 2 seconds
  • Can catch bounced balls (most of the time)
  • Pours, mashes, and sometimes cuts own food

5 Years

Social & Emotional

  • Wants to please and be like friends
  • More likely to agree with rules
  • Likes to sing, dance, and act
  • Can distinguish between real and make-believe

Language & Communication

  • Speaks very clearly
  • Tells a story with full sentences
  • Uses the future tense
  • Can say name and address

Cognitive

  • Counts 10 or more things
  • Copies triangles, rectangles, and other geometric shapes with pencil or crayon
  • Draws a person with at least 6 body parts
  • Can write some letters / numbers
  • Knows about everyday items like money

Physical

  • Stands/ hops on one foot for 10 + seconds
  • Hops and maybe skips
  • Can do a somersault
  • Controls a fork, spoon, and sometimes a table knife well
  • Can use the bathroom independently
  • Swings and climbs

What Can You Do to Support Your Child’s Development?

First off, keep in mind that every child will meet milestones at different times. While these guidelines are helpful for determining if your child is developing properly, development isn’t a race and we shouldn’t rush our kids to be ahead or stress if they don’t check every single milestone exactly on their birthday. (Though always talk to your pediatrician if you have concerns about missed milestones).

That being said, there are plenty of low-stress, low-pressure things parents can and should do to support healthy development for their toddlers and preschoolers. Fortunately, most of these things are as simple as talking, playing, and reading with your kids!

  • Play pretend with your child and follow their lead and ideas.
  • Provide simple toys that promote pretend play such as dolls and toys that promote dramatic roleplay like dress-up costumes, play kitchens, and playhouses.
  • Provide simple toys that promote cognitive development and fine motor skills such as puzzles and blocks.
  • Read with your child every day. Reading is one of the best ways to improve children’s language and cognition, and it will provide inspiration for their own stories and pretend play.
  • Provide craft materials and writing utensils for your child to practice with.
  • Talk and interact with your child as you would prefer to be talked to. They’ll mimic your behavior, so model politeness and patience as much as possible (even when they’re throwing tantrums or testing boundaries).
  • Give your child more and more opportunities for independence as they grow. For example, you can allow them to dress themselves and help out with household chores.
  • If your child doesn’t attend daycare or preschool, set up playdates to provide opportunities for them to interact with their peers.
  • Provide opportunities for active physical play outdoors. Swing sets, balls, climbing/balance toys can help with the development of gross motor skills.

Remember, no toy is as important for your child’s development as you are! Still, we all want to know that we’re providing our kids with toys that help, rather than hinder, their physical and cognitive development. For developmentally-friendly toys your kids will love playing with, check out KidKraft’s wide range of play kitchens, dollhouses, building toys, playhouses, swing sets, climbers, and more!