Child Development Milestones by Age: What Should Your Child Be Able to Do?

No two children develop in exactly the same way. One baby rolls over early and talks late; another is chatting away before they can walk. That variation is normal. Still, most children pick up certain skills within a fairly predictable age range, and these child development milestones give parents and doctors a practical way to check that things are on track.

Milestones cover four broad areas: movement (gross and fine motor skills), communication and language, social and emotional development, and thinking and learning (cognitive skills). This guide walks through the key developmental milestones by age, the signs that may suggest a delay, and what a developmental assessment actually involves.

What Are Developmental Milestones?

Developmental milestones are skills that most children show by a certain age — smiling, sitting, pointing, saying first words, running, drawing a circle. The age ranges used in this guide are based on those published by public health bodies such as the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which describe what most children (roughly three out of four) can do by each age.

That last point matters. Milestones are a guide, not a pass-or-fail test. A child who hasn't reached one milestone by the exact month listed is not automatically "delayed". What pediatricians look at is the overall pattern: is your child steadily gaining new skills? Are they behind in several areas, or just one? Are they catching up over time?

If your baby was born prematurely, their development is usually measured from their due date rather than their birth date (their "corrected age") until around 2 years of age.

Developmental Milestones by Age

The examples below are typical skills for each age. Your child may do some of these earlier and some a little later.

2 Months

• Movement: holds head up briefly when lying on their tummy; moves both arms and legs; opens hands for short periods
• Communication: makes cooing sounds other than crying; reacts to loud sounds
• Social/emotional: calms down when picked up or spoken to; looks at your face; begins to smile back at you
• Learning: watches you as you move; looks at a toy for a few seconds

4 Months

• Movement: holds head steady without support when held; pushes up onto elbows during tummy time; brings hands to mouth; holds a toy placed in their hand
• Communication: coos and makes sounds back when you talk; turns head towards your voice
• Social/emotional: smiles on their own to get your attention; chuckles
• Learning: looks at their own hands with interest; opens mouth when they see the breast or bottle if hungry

6 Months

• Movement: rolls from tummy to back; pushes up on straight arms; leans on hands to support themselves when sitting
• Communication: takes turns making sounds with you; squeals and blows "raspberries"
• Social/emotional: recognises familiar people; laughs; enjoys looking at themselves in a mirror
• Learning: reaches for toys they want; puts things in their mouth to explore them

9 Months

• Movement: sits without support; gets into a sitting position alone; passes objects from one hand to the other
• Communication: babbles repeated sounds such as "mamama" and "bababa"; lifts arms to be picked up
• Social/emotional: may be shy or clingy with strangers; looks when you call their name; reacts when you leave
• Learning: looks for an object when it drops out of sight; bangs two things together

12 Months

• Movement: pulls up to stand; walks while holding onto furniture ("cruising"); picks up small things between thumb and pointer finger
• Communication: waves bye-bye; calls a parent "mama", "baba" or another special name; understands "no"
• Social/emotional: plays simple games such as pat-a-cake or peek-a-boo
• Learning: puts objects into a container; looks for things they saw you hide

18 Months

• Movement: walks without holding on; scribbles; tries to use a spoon; climbs on and off a sofa
• Communication: tries to say three or more words besides "mama" or "baba"; follows simple one-step directions without gestures ("give me the ball")
• Social/emotional: moves away from you but checks you're still close; points to show you something interesting
• Learning: copies you doing chores; plays with toys in a simple, purposeful way, such as pushing a toy car

2 Years

• Movement: runs; kicks a ball; walks up a few stairs with or without help; eats with a spoon
• Communication: puts two words together ("more milk", "daddy go"); points to things in a book when asked; points to at least two body parts
• Social/emotional: notices when others are hurt or upset; looks at your face to see how to react in a new situation
• Learning: holds something in one hand while using the other; plays with more than one toy at a time

3 Years

• Movement: strings large beads; puts on some clothes alone; uses a fork
• Communication: holds a short back-and-forth conversation; asks "who", "what", "where" or "why" questions; says their first name; is understood by familiar adults most of the time
• Social/emotional: calms down within about 10 minutes of being left with a familiar carer; notices other children and joins in play
• Learning: draws a circle when shown how; avoids touching hot things when warned

4 Years

• Movement: catches a large ball most of the time; holds a crayon between fingers and thumb; undoes some buttons
• Communication: speaks in sentences of four or more words; talks about something that happened during the day; says some words from a rhyme or song
• Social/emotional: enjoys pretend play; comforts others who are sad; likes to help
• Learning: names a few colours; says what comes next in a familiar story; draws a person with three or more body parts

5 Years

• Movement: hops on one foot; does up some buttons
• Communication: tells a simple story with at least two events; keeps a conversation going; recognises simple rhymes
• Social/emotional: follows rules and takes turns in games; does simple chores at home
• Learning: counts to 10; recognises some letters and numbers; writes some letters of their name; pays attention for 5–10 minutes during an activity

Speech and language are the area parents ask about most often. For a closer look at this area, see our guides on when speech delay is a concern and the early signs and causes of speech delay.

Signs That May Suggest a Developmental Delay

A single late milestone is rarely a cause for alarm on its own. The following, however, are worth discussing with your pediatrician:

• Missing several milestones for their age, or being behind in more than one area
• Not smiling at people by around 3 months
• Not holding their head steady by around 4–5 months
• Not sitting without support by around 9–10 months
• Not babbling, pointing or waving by around 12 months
• Not walking by around 18 months
• Not using any single words by around 16–18 months, or not joining two words together by around 2 years
• Not responding to their name or to sounds, or showing little interest in people
• Very stiff or very floppy muscles, or consistently using one side of the body much more than the other
• Losing skills they already had — such as words, babbling, social interest or motor skills

Loss of previously learned skills (regression) is different from a slow start. It should always be discussed with a doctor promptly, whatever your child's age. Our article on delayed development in children explains the common causes of developmental delay in more detail.

When Should Parents Talk to a Pediatrician?

You don't need to wait for a routine check-up if something is worrying you. Talk to a pediatrician if:

• Your child seems behind for their age in one or more areas
• Your child has lost a skill they previously had
• A teacher, relative or carer has raised a concern
• You feel something isn't right, even if you can't say exactly what

Parents' concerns are one of the most reliable early signals of a developmental problem, and pediatricians take them seriously. Asking early doesn't mean something is wrong. Often the answer is reassurance, but if your child does need support, starting sooner helps. Developmental progress is also reviewed at routine well-child visits, which our guide on when to see a pediatrician covers by age.

What Happens During a Developmental Assessment?

A developmental assessment is not an exam your child can fail. It's a structured look at how they move, communicate, play and learn. It usually includes:

• A detailed history — pregnancy and birth, early milestones, health problems, family history, and what you've noticed at home
• Observation and play — watching how your child moves, uses their hands, communicates and interacts, often through toys and simple tasks
• A physical examination — including growth, head size, muscle tone, reflexes, and vision and hearing checks
• Screening questionnaires — standardised tools that compare your child's skills with those of other children the same age
• Further tests or referrals where needed — for example a formal hearing test, blood tests, or referral to speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy or other specialists

If there are features that suggest autism spectrum disorder, such as limited eye contact or little interest in shared play, a more specific evaluation may be recommended. Our article on autism and ADHD in children explains how these conditions are recognised.

Final Thoughts

Milestones are a helpful guide, but they don't describe every child. Most children who reach a skill a little later than average are developing normally. What matters most is steady progress, and taking action when progress stalls, a pattern of delays appears, or skills are lost. If you're unsure, a conversation with your pediatrician is the simplest way to get clarity.

This article is for general educational purposes and does not replace personalised medical advice. Please consult Dr. Yasser Masood or your child's pediatrician for guidance specific to your child. In an emergency, contact your nearest emergency department immediately.