Milestones
Milestones
A developmental milestone is a skill or ability children are most likely reach around or by a certain age. These are the small but important steps that show how your child is growing—like their first smile, rolling over, saying a new word, or playing pretend. Milestones help parents and caregivers see the progress children are making in their physical, thinking, communication, and social-emotional development.
Every child develops at their own pace, but milestones give you a general guide of what to look for and celebrate along the way. They’re not tests or deadlines—just helpful markers that highlight the amazing journey of growth in the first five years!
Understanding Milestone Categories & Definitions
To make early childhood development more approachable, we've defined each milestone category in simple terms, rooted in how children naturally grow through play, exploration, and relationships. These explanations tie into our FIELD approach, helping you see how everyday moments contribute to your child's fullest potential in the first five years.
-
Physical Milestones: These focus on how your child builds strength, coordination, and control over their body, from big movements like rolling or walking to finer skills like grasping toys. Think of it as the foundation for active play and independence—fueling their energy and helping them explore the world safely, just like tummy time strengthening muscles for future adventures.
-
Cognitive Milestones: This area covers your child's growing ability to think, learn, and solve problems, such as recognizing patterns, imitating actions, or understanding cause and effect. It's all about inspiring curiosity through simple discoveries, like hiding a toy to spark their sense of wonder, educating them on how the world works in relatable, hands-on ways.
-
Communication Milestones: Here, we look at how your child expresses themselves and connects through sounds, words, gestures, and early literacy, from cooing and babbling to forming sentences. It simplifies learning by encouraging back-and-forth interactions, like reading books together, to develop their voice and confidence in sharing ideas with you and others.
-
Social & Emotional Milestones: These highlight your child's developing relationships, emotions, and sense of self, including smiling at familiar faces, showing empathy, or playing alongside peers. By nurturing these through hugs, games, and routines, we help families build secure bonds that guide emotional growth, ensuring your child feels supported as they learn to navigate feelings and connections in their early years.
About Our Milestone Lists:
Your Trusted One-Stop Resource
At The Parent Field, we're committed to simplifying early childhood development for busy parents like you, drawing on academic research, educator insights, and real-life experiences to support the critical first five years. Our comprehensive milestone lists are carefully compiled from two highly respected, evidence-based sources: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Developmental Milestones and Ontario's Early Learning for Every Child Today (ELECT) framework. This creates a convenient one-stop shop, breaking down milestones into age categories (0-6 months, 6-12 months, 1-3 years, and 3-5 years) across key domains, so you can easily track your child's progress and find actionable ideas to nurture their growth. Check out our TOYS Page for lower cost ideas too!
The CDC, a leading U.S. federal public health agency, provides reliable milestones based on extensive research and collaboration with experts like the American Academy of Pediatrics. These guidelines help identify typical development patterns, empowering parents to act early if needed and promoting healthy outcomes through everyday play and interaction.
ELECT, developed by the Ontario Ministry of Education, is a trusted provincial framework that offers a shared understanding of how young children learn and develop, grounded in best practices for early childhood settings. It's widely used by educators to guide curriculum and pedagogy, emphasizing holistic, child-centered approaches that align perfectly with our mission to fuel, inspire, educate, learn, and develop together.
By blending these sources, we provide straightforward, research-backed tools to build your confidence as a parent—because understanding milestones isn't just about checklists; it's about celebrating your child's unique journey and fostering strong family connections.
Physical Milestones
Development in how children use and control their bodies. Including muscle and motor skills.
0-6 Months
-
Holds head up when on tummy
-
Moves both arms and legs
-
Opens hands briefly
-
Holds head steady without support when you are holding baby
-
Holds a toy when you put it in babies hand
-
Uses arms to swing at toys
-
Brings hands to mouth
-
Pushes up on elbows and forearms when on tummy
-
Rolls from tummy to back
-
Pushes with straight arms when on tummy
-
Leans on hands to support themself when sitting
1-3 Years
-
Takes a few steps on their own
-
Uses fingers to feed herself some food
-
Walks without holding on to anyone or anything
-
Scribbles
-
Drinks from a cup without a lid and may spill sometimes
-
Feeds herself with her fingers
-
Tries to use a spoon
-
Climbs on and off a couch or chair without help
-
Kicks a ball
-
Runs
-
Walks (not climbs) up a few stairs with or without help
-
Uses hands to twist things, like turning doorknobs or unscrewing lids
-
Takes some clothes off by herself, like loose pants or an open jacket
-
Jumps off the ground with both feet
-
Turns book pages, one at a time, when you read to her
-
Eats with a spoon
6-12 Months
-
Gets to a sitting position by themself
-
Moves things from one hand to the other
-
Uses fingers to take food towards themself
-
Sits without support
-
Pulls up to stand
-
Walks holding onto furniture
-
Drinks from a cup without a lid, as you hold it
-
Picks things up between thumb and pointer finger, like small bits of food
3-5 Years
-
Strings items together, like large beads or macaroni
-
Puts on some clothes by herself, like loose pants or a jacket
-
Uses a fork
-
Catches a large ball most of the time
-
Serves themself food or pours water, with adult supervision
-
Unbuttons some buttons
-
Holds crayon or pencil between fingers and thumb (not a fist)
-
Buttons some buttons
-
Hops on one foot
Cognitive Milestones
Development in thinking, reasoning, memory and problem solving.
0-6 Months
-
Watches you as you move
-
Looks at a toy for several seconds
-
If hungry opens mouth when sees breast or bottle
-
Looks at her hands with interest
-
Puts things in their mouth to explore them
-
Reaches to grab a toy they want
-
Closes lips to show she doesn't want more food
1-3 Years
-
Tries to use things the right way, like a phone, cup, or book
-
Stacks at least two small objects like blocks
-
Copies you doing chores, like sweeping with a broom
-
Plays with toys in a simple way, like pushing a toy car
-
Holds something in one hand while using the other hand; for example, holding a container and taking the lid off
-
Tries to use switches, knobs, or buttons on a toy
-
Plays with more than one toy at the same time, like putting toy food on a toy plate
-
Uses things to pretend, like feeding a block to a doll as if it were food
-
Shows simple problem-solving skills, like standing on a small stool to reach something
-
Follows two-step instructions like "put the toy down and close the door"
-
Shows they know at least one colour, like pointing to a red crayon when you ask, "which one is red?"
6-12 Months
-
Looks for objects when dropped or out of sight like a spoon or a toy
-
Bangs two things together
-
Puts something in a container, like a ball in a cup
-
Looks for things she sees you hide like a book under a blanket
3-5 Years
-
Draws a circle, when you show her how
-
Avoids touching hot objects, like a stove, when you warn her
-
Names a few colours of items
-
Tells what comes next in a well-known story
-
Draws a person with three or more body parts
-
Counts to 10
-
Names some numbers between 1 and 5 when you point to them
-
Uses words about time, like "yesterday," "tomorrow," "morning," or "night"
-
Pays attention for 5-10 minutes during activities. For example, during story time or making arts and crafts (screen time does not count)
-
writes some letters in their name
-
Names some letters when you point to them
Social & Emotional Milestones
Development where children learn to interact with others and the world around them. Learning what feelings are, and learning how to manage feelings.
0-6 Months
-
Calms down when spoken to or picked up
-
Looks at your face
-
Seems happy to see you when you walk up to her
-
Smiles when you talk to or smile at her
-
Smiles on her own to get your attention
-
Chuckles (not yet a full laugh) when you try to make them laugh
-
Looks at you, moves, or makes sounds to get or keep your attention
-
Knows familiar people
-
Likes to look at herself in a mirror
-
Laughs
1-3 Years
-
Copies other children while playing, like taking toys out of a container when another child does
-
Shows you an object she likes
-
Claps when excited
-
Hugs stuffed doll or other toy
-
Shows you affection (hugs, cuddles, or kisses you)
-
Moves away from you, but looks to make sure you are close by
-
Points to show you something interesting
-
Puts hands out for you to wash them
-
Looks at a few pages in a book with you
-
Helps you dress her by pushing arm through sleeve or lifting up foot
-
Notices when others are hurt or upset, like pausing or looking sad when someone is crying
-
Looks at your face to see how to react in a new situation
-
Plays next to other children and sometimes plays with them
-
Shows you what she can do by saying "Look at me!"
6-12 Months
-
Is shy, clingy, or fearful around strangers
-
Shows several facial expressions, like happy, sad, angry, and surprised
-
Looks when you call her name
-
Reacts when you leave (looks, reaches for you, or cries)
-
Smiles or laughs when you play peek-a-boo
-
Plays games with you, like pat-a-cake
3-5 Years
-
Calms down within 10 minutes after you leave her, like at a childcare drop off
-
Notices other children and joins them to play
-
Pretends to be something else during play (teacher, superhero, dog)
-
Asks to go play with children if none around, like "Can I play with Alex?"
-
Comforts others who are hurt or sad, like hugging a crying friend
-
Avoids danger, like not jumping from tall heights at the playground
-
Likes to be a "helper"
-
Changes behaviour based on where she is (place of worship, library, playground)
-
Follows rules or takes turns when playing games with other children
-
Sings, dances, or acts for you
-
Does simple chores at home, like matching socks or clearing the table after eating
Communication Milestones
Development regarding how to communicate with others, reading and writing skills.
0-6 Months
-
Makes sounds other than crying
-
Reacts to loud sounds
-
Makes sounds like "oooo," "ahhh" (cooing)
-
Makes sounds back when you talk to her
-
Turn head toward the sound of your voice
-
Takes turns making sounds with you
-
Blows "raspberries" (sticks tongue out and blows)
-
Makes squealing noises
1-3 Years
-
Tries to say one or two words besides "mama" or "dada" like "ba" for ball or "da" for dog
-
Looks at familiar object when you name it
-
Follows directions given with both a gesture and words. For example, she gives you a toy when you hold out your hand and say, "Give me the toy."
-
Points to ask for soemthing or to get help
-
Tries to say three or more words besides "mama" or "dada"
-
Follows one-step directions without any gestures, like giving you the toy when you say, "give it to me."
-
Points to things in a book when you ask, like "where is the bear?"
-
Says at least two words together like "more milk."
-
Points to at least two body parts when you ask her to show you
-
Uses more gestures than just waving and pointing, like blowing a kiss or nodding yes
-
Says about 50 words
-
Says two or more words together, with one action word, like "Doggie run"
-
Names things in a book when you point and ask, "What is this?"
-
Says words like "I," "me," or "we"
6-12 Months
-
Makes different sounds like "mama mama" and "babababba"
-
Lifts arms up to be picked up
-
Waves "bye-bye"
-
Calls a parent "mama" or "dada" or another special name
-
Understands "no" (pauses briefly or stops when you say it)
3-5 Years
-
Talks with you in conversation using at least two back-and-forth exchanges
-
Asks "who," "what," "where," or "why" questions, like "where is mommy/daddy?"
-
Says what action is happening in a picture or book when asked, like "running," "eating," or "playing"
-
Says first name, when asked
-
Talks well enough for others to understand, most of the time
-
Says sentences with four or more words
-
Says some words form a song, story, or nursery rhyme
-
Talks about at least one thing that happened during her day, like "I played soccer."
-
Answers simple questions like "what is a coat for?" or "What is a crayon for?"
-
Tells a story she heard or made up with at least two events. For example, a cat was stuck in a tree and a firefighter saved it
-
Answers simple questions about a book or story after you read and tell it to her
-
Keeps a conversation going with more than three back-and-forth exchanges
-
Uses or recognizes simple rhymes (bat-cat, ball-tall)