Introduction
Social
Emotional
Cognitive
Language
Movement
Hand and Finger Skills
Developmental Health Watch
| Children develop at their own pace, so it's impossible to tell exactly when yours will learn a given skill. The developmental milestones below will give you a general idea of the changes you can expect as your child gets older, but don't be alarmed if your child takes a slightly different course. |
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Social
- Imitates behavior of others, especially
adults and older children
- More aware of herself as separate from
others
- More excited about company of other children
Emotional
- Demonstrates increasing independence
- Begins to show defiant behavior
- Separation anxiety increases toward midyear then fades
Cognitive
- Finds objects even when hidden under two
or three covers
- Begins to sort by shapes and colors
- Begins make-believe play
Language
- Points to object or picture when it's
named for him
- Recognizes names of familiar people,
objects, and body parts
- Says several single words (by 15 to 18
months)
- Uses simple phrases (by 18 to 24 months)
- Uses 2- to 4-word sentences
- Follows simple instructions
- Repeats words overheard in conversation
Movement
- Walks alone
- Pulls toys behind her while walking
- Carries large toy or several toys while
walking
- Begins to run
- Stands on tiptoe
- Kicks a ball
- Climbs onto and down from furniture
unassisted
- Walks up and down stairs holding on to support
Hand and Finger Skills
- Scribbles on his or her own
- Turns over container to pour out contents
- Builds tower of four blocks or more
- Might use one hand more often than the other
Developmental Health Watch
Alert your child's doctor or nurse if your child displays any of the following signs of possible developmental delay for this age range.
- Cannot walk by 18
months
- Fails to develop a
mature heel-toe walking pattern after several months of
walking, or walks only on his toes
- Does not speak at
least 15 words
- Does not use
two-word sentences by age 2
- By 15 months, does
not seem to know the function of common household objects
(brush, telephone, bell, fork, spoon)
- Does not imitate
actions or words by the end of this period
- Does not follow
simple instructions by age 2
- Cannot push a
wheeled toy by age 2
- Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he or she once had
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From CARING FOR YOUR BABY AND YOUNG CHILD: BIRTH TO AGE 5 by Steven Shelov, Robert E. Hannermann, © 1991, 1993, 1998, 2004 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Used by permission of Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
See PDF version:
Important Milestones: By the End of 2 Years (24 Months) [PDF, 136KB]
