- Lubbock Independent School District
- How Babies and Toddlers Develop
How Babies and Toddlers Develop
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- The early years of a child's life are busy as they are growing and developing rapidly. While not all children develop at the same rate, the skills, or developmental milestones, they build usually happen by certain ages. Take a look at these age groups below to see what your child should be currently learning to do.
- Want to help your child build new skills? YOU CAN! Parents can help children learn these skills through play and routine with daily activities. Learning can become a part of everyday life and it can be enjoyable for both the parents and the children.
- ECI could not do what we do without YOU! You, the parents, spend the most time with your child and you are more likely to identify a developmental concern before anyone else.
Milestones Organized by Age Group
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3 - 6 Months
- Follow moving toys or faces with their eyes
- Startle at loud or new sounds
- Wiggle and kick with legs and arms
- Lift head and shoulders while on stomach
- Smile back at parents or other family members
- Make sounds, like gurgling, cooing or sucking sounds
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6 - 9 Months
- Explore toys with hands and mouth
- Roll over front-to-back and back-to-front
- Squeal and babble different sounds
- Sit by leaning on their hands
- Turn their heads to voices and respond to their names
- Know family members and seek their attention
- Enjoy playing "peek-a-boo"
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9 - 12 Months
- Copy hand movements like “patty cake,” or “bye-bye”
- Pick up crumbs or other small things with their thumb and a finger
- Move toys from one hand to the other hand
- Crawl on hands and knees
- Sit without help
- Repeat sounds like “baba,” “dada,” “mama”
- Cry when mother or father leaves
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12 - 15 Months
- Pull themselves up to a standing position
- Walk by holding onto furniture
- Drink from a cup with your help
- Wave bye-bye
- Say “mama” and “dada” and one other word
- Point to objects they want
- Find a toy hidden under a cloth
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15 - 18 Months
- Use at least 3 words besides “mama” and “dada”
- Like to look at pictures in a book
- Hold a crayon in a fist
- Hand toys to you when asked
- Point to pictures or objects you name
- Walk without help
- Dump contents out of a box
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18 - 21 Months
- Like to pull and push things while walking
- Use pointing and words together to tell what they want
- Pull off shoes and socks
- Feed themselves with their fingers
- Point to one body part when asked
- Use at least 10 words and repeat words you say
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21 - 24 Months
- Point and use words to get your attention
- Like to pretend-play (Talk on
toy phone) - Put together a 2 or 3 piece picture puzzle
- Like to throw balls
- Like to play alone with toys for a short time
- Say “no” a lot
- Like to copy what others do
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24 - 30 Months
- Use 2 to 3 words together, like “No, Mommy” or “More cookies”
- Use and understand at least 50 words
- Feed themselves with a spoon
- Enjoy being around and watching other toddlers
- Show affection to family members and pets
- Run short distances without falling
Pretend play with more than one step (Feed a doll, then pat and hug it)- Show lots of feelings (joy, anger, sadness)
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30 - 36 Months
- Throw a ball overhand
- Comfort another child who is crying
- Walk on tiptoes
- Combine 2 ideas in a sentence (“I want an apple and a banana”)
- Help to clean up
- Ask for help when needed
- Combine 2 toys in pretend play (Uses a stuffed bear as the driver of a toy car)
- Use at least 100 words
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Reference & Information
All information pulled from the following sources: