Developmental milestones are a set of functional skills or age-specific tasks that most children can do at a certain age range. Although each milestone has an age level, the actual age when a normally developing child reaches that milestone can very quite a bit, so don't be alarmed if your own child's development takes a slightly different course.. Please remember that every child is unique!

Social

• Wants to please friends

• Wants to be like her friends

• More likely to agree to rules

• Likes to sing, dance, and act

• Shows more independence and may even visit a next-door neighbor by herself

Emotional Milestones

• Aware of gender

• Able to distinguish fantasy from reality

• Sometimes demanding, sometimes eagerly cooperative

Cognitive Milestones

• Can count 10 or more objects

• Correctly names at least four colors

• Better understands the concept of time

• Knows about things used every day in the home (money, food, appliances)

Language

• Recalls part of a story

• Speaks sentences of more than five words

• Uses future tense

• Tells longer stories

• Says name and address

Movement

• Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer

• Hops, somersaults

• Swings, climbs

• May be able to skip

Hand and Finger Skills

• Copies triangle and other shapes

• Draws person with body

• Prints some letters

• Dresses and undresses without help

• Uses fork, spoon, and (sometimes) a table knife

• Usually cares for own toilet needs