Milestones
By 3-4 months
Watches faces with interest and follows moving objects
Recognizes familiar objects and people; smiles at the sound of your voice
Begins to develop a social smile-
Turns head toward sounds
By 7 Months
Responds to other people's emotions
Enjoys face-to-face play; can find partially hidden objects
Explores with hands and mouth; struggles for out of reach objects
Responds to own name
Uses voice to express joy and displeasure; babbles chains of sounds
By 12 Months/1 Year
Enjoys imitating people; tries to imitate sounds
Enjoys simple social games, such as "gonna get you!"
Explores objects; finds hidden objects
Responds to "no;" uses simple gestures, such as pointing to an object
Babbles with changes in tone; may use single words ("dada,""mama," "Uh-oh!")
Turns to person speaking when his/her name is called.
By 24 Months/2 Years
Imitates behavior of others; is excited about company of other children
Understands several words
Finds deeply hidden objects; points to named pictures and objects
Begins to sort by shapes and colors; begins simple make-believe play
Recognizes names of familiar people and objects; follows simple instructions
Combines two words to communicate with others, such as "more cookie?"
By 36 Months/3 Years
Expresses affection openly and has a wide range of emotions
Makes mechanical toys work; plays make-believe
Sorts objects by shape and color, matches objects to pictures
Follows a 2- or 3-part command; uses simple phrases to communicate with others, such as "go outside, swing?"
Uses pronouns (I, you, me) and some plurals (cars, dogs)
By 48 Months/4 Years
Cooperates with other children; is increasingly inventive in fantasy play
Names some colors; understands concepts of counting and time
Speaks in sentences of five to six words
Tells stories; speaks clearly enough for strangers to understand
Follows three-part commands; understands "same" and "different"
By 60 Months/5 Years
Wants to be like his/her friends; likes to sing, dance, and act
Is able to distinguish fantasy from reality
Shows increased independence
Can count 10 or more objects and correctly name at least four colorsWhat Is
