Most parents are familiar with the movement milestones of babies such as rolling, sitting, standing, crawling and walking. But what about the milestones of toddlers and older children? How do you know what a child should be doing and at what age?
When I was working as a pre-school teacher, part of my job was evaluating my students to determine if they were meeting their developmental milestones or if they were delayed in one or more areas. I looked over tons and tons of evaluation forms and lists of what kids should be doing at what age but none of them fit my specific needs, so I took the information and developed my own evaluation form which I used through my time teaching and which I have referenced when worried about my own children and other children in my lives since then.
It’s important to remember when looking at a list like this, though, that every child is different and develops at their own pace. Just because a child may not be doing one or two skills does not mean they are behind or delayed. These are simply GUIDELINES for keeping track of things. Any child can be doing each of these tasks much earlier or later and so long as they are reaching their other milestones, there is probably no reason to be concerned.
Between 12 and 18 months most children should be able to:
Walk forward, backwards and sideways on their own- Climb up stairs on knees
- Throw a ball while standing or sitting
- Get into standing position without using hands
Between 18 and 24 months most children should be able to:
Climb in and out of things- Push and pull large objects
- Carry a large object while walking
- Creep backwards down stairs
- Attempt to walk on a straight line
Between 24 and 29 months most children should be able to:
-
Run without falling - Pedal a tricycle
- Kick a large ball
- Jump in place
- Play on swings, ladders and other equipment with ease
- Bend at waist to pick up object on floor.
- Climb onto chairs and furniture
Between 30 and 36 months most children should be able to:
Attempt to balance on one foot- Balance on one foot for 5 seconds
- Perform 1 to 3 hops with feet together
- Walk on tiptoes
Between 36 and 48 months (3 years old) most children should be able to:
Catch a beanbag while standing- Balance on one foot for 8 seconds
- Perform 1 to 3 hops on one foot
- Do a somersault
- Gallop
- Throw a ball from overhead
- Begin to pump their legs on the swing
Between 48 and 60 months (4 years old) most children should be able to:
Catch a beanbag with hands- Balance on one foot for 10 seconds
- Skip with alternating feet
- Carry a cup of liquid without spilling
- Walk backwards toe to heel for four steps
- Walk up and down stairs alternating feet
- Jump Backward
Between 60 and 72 months (5 years old) most children should be able to:
Skip smoothly- Begin to jump rope
- Walk on a balance beam confidently
- Beginning to skate, swim and/or bike ride
- Hop in a straight line
