Gross Motor Skills

— skills that use large muscles (legs, arms, trunk, and neck):

1 month:

• head bobs when held upright,
• Kicking both legs and moving both arms equally while on back
• Move her arms together and apart

2 months:

• lifts head briefly when placed on tummy
• Bring his hands to his mouth, and possibly suck on his own hands or fingers
• Makes smoother movements with arms and legs
• Turns head to both sides while on back.
• Lifts the head and is able to turn to both sides while on the belly

3 months:

• lifts head 2 to 3 inches off the surface and pushes up with forearms when placed on tummy
• Head lag with pull to sit.
• Performs tummy time on the floor regularly.

Fine Motor Skills 

— skills that use small muscles (hands and fingers):

1 month:

• Hands are in fists most of the time,
• Move her arms together and apart
• Bring his hands to his mouth, and possibly suck on his own hands or fingers
• Makes smoother movements with arms and legs

2 months:

• Holds a rattle when placed in their hand

3 months:

• Reaches toward dangling objects and people's faces

Cognitive skills

— mental skills (thinking, learning, problem-solving):

1 month:

• looks at mobiles and people's faces;
• becomes quiet when picked up;
• cuddles when held

2 months:

• eyes follow a moving person or object;
• stays awake for longer periods;
• beginning to smile

3 months:

• looks at their own hands;
• feels objects with hands and mouth;
• turns eyes or head towards sounds; enjoys playful interaction;
• smiles at familiar people

Self-help skills

— skills that help children become more independent:

1 month:

• coordinated suck from breast or bottle nipple

2 months:

• opens mouth when seeing breast or bottle nipple

3 months:

• anticipates feedings
• shows interest or excitement when seeing breast or bottle nipple

Vision development

Newborns concentrate best on objects 8-12 inches away during the first several months. Adult faces become the main focus. Their visual range expands about three months, but they cannot adjust their visual focus. Babies concentrate better on high-contrast things throughout this stage of development. Black and white photos with contrasting patterns or pictures help a baby's vision development (infant stimulation cards). You can make a mobile with these cards. Visual tracking, or following an object with the eyes, should start at three months old. To teach your baby to track, lay them on their back, use a rattle, bell, or other object or wait for your baby to get the point of the Play.

On white paper, create simple patterns such as diagonals, a bull's eye, a checkerboard, and simple faces with a black marker. Place these images 8-12 inches away from your baby's face in quiet areas.

Social-Emotional Development

• 'Rough' games can harm babies. Babies have delicate bones and joints and are easily scared. Be gentle with your infant.
• There are rapid changes in babies ' actions as they develop and learn.
• If you can, take your baby outside every day.
• Keep the baby in the shade and look out for birds and insects.
• Dress baby comfortably. If it's warm, let baby play barely dressed for a while so he can feel objects against his skin and move freely.
• By moving, babies gain physical skills (including grasping, sitting up, and crawling).
• Talk to your infant and try to read to him.
• YOU are vital in your baby's existence.

Gross Motor Skills 

— skills that use large muscles (legs, arms, trunk, and neck):

• Rolls over in both directions
• Can hold head steady, unsupported
• Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
• Start rolling over from tummy to back.
• Can shake a toy and swing at hanging toys
• Brings hands to his mouth.
• Pushes up to elbows while lying on stomach.
• Begins to sit without support
• Passes items from one hand to another
• Reaches for a toy with one hand
• Lie on his belly and raise his arms

4 months:

• straightens legs when feet touch a flat surface;
• when on tummy, lifts head and chest off the surface while looking forward

5 months:

• rolls from tummy to back (always supervise to avoid falls);
• pulls self forward to a sitting position when you hold baby's hands

6 months:

• sits briefly without support;
• rolls from back to tummy

Fine Motor Skills

— skills that use small muscles (hands and fingers):

4 months:

• holds and shakes the rattle,
• plays with and watches their own fingers

5 months:

• reaches for a toy with two hands;
• uses the whole hand to grasp a toy

6 months:

• passes a toy from one hand to another:
• bangs toy on the table

• Grab at whatever she can reach.
• Roll over to find things and explore

Cognitive skills

— mental skills (thinking, learning, problem-solving):

4 months:

• focuses eyes towards sounds;
• looks at toy held in hands; smiles at self in a mirror;
• laughs

5 months:

• finds a toy that is partially hidden under cloth;
• makes sounds to get social attention;
• notices strangers

6 months:

• reaches for a toy out of reach;
• likes to be with people

• 3 to 6-month-olds begin to notice their surroundings.
• Positive interactions that include language and sensory exploration benefit your baby's development.
• If your infant is engaged in an activity and having fun, they are learning! Young children do not need to be "taught." Playing and snuggling with your baby is just what they need to develop and learn.
• Recognizes familiar persons and things from a distance.
• Indicates if he is joyful or sad.
• Reacts to affection
• Reaches for a toy with both hands
• Follows objects by shifting his gaze from side to side.
• Observes faces intently

Self-help skills

— skills that help children become more independent:

4 months:

• brings a toy to the mouth

5 months:

• places both hands on the breast or bottle when nursing

6 months:

• holds own bottle or cup during feedings

Social-Emotional Development

• Spontaneously smiles at people
• Loves to play with others and may weep when the play ends.
• Copies some facial emotions and movements, such as smiling or frowning
• Response to other’s emotions often seems happy
• Likes to stare in a mirror
• May react to strangers

Gross Motor Skills

— skills that use large muscles (legs, arms, trunk, and neck):

• 6-9-month-olds are explorers curious about everything and everyone around them. Still, they are also prone to anxiety when meeting new people.
• They are sitting up, sometimes crawling backward before moving forward, and even standing up by holding on to support.
• Rocks back and forth rolls from back to stomach and back-to-back to investigate and reach stuff
• They like monitoring and responding to what is happening around them and repeating noises and behaviors.
• Responds to one's own name
• Finds partially hidden items
• Can sit independently, which helps him to explore in new ways.
• Babbles words like 'mama' or 'dada'
• Passes toys or objects from one hand to the other
• Laughs and squeals
• Provide activities for children to create relationships with their peers, such as group singing, movement, etc.
• Always acknowledge when toddlers share or engage in other thoughtful activities.

Fine Motor Skills

— skills that use small muscles (hands and fingers):

• Grab hold of whatever is within her reach.
• When laying on his stomach, he can support himself with his arms.
• Transfer things from one hand to the other.

Cognitive skills

• Babies at this age are learning to think and solve problems.
• Can drop a toy on the floor to see where it goes.
• Their way of figuring out how things work is by copying what you and others do.
• Pay attention to what your baby does to make things happen. Comment on their actions, "You used your voice to let me know you wanted me to keep playing peek-boo."
• Let your baby explore exciting objects— like toys with buttons to push.
• Looks around at items nearby
• Brings things to the mouth
• Demonstrates curiosity about things and tries to get items that are out of reach
• Begins to pass things from one hand to the other
• They like testing out new ideas (cause and effect), opening and closing things, and watching how objects disappear and appear.

Social-Emotional Skills

— skills that use large muscles (legs, arms, trunk, and neck):

• Recognizes familiar faces and begins to identify strangers
• Likes to interact with people, particularly parents.
• Responds to other people's feelings and appears to be joyful most of the time
• Likes to study herself in the mirror
• Plays games like Peek-a-boo
• May get upset if separated from familiar people or family members
• Taps images of self in mirror
• Loves to watch faces
• May enjoy meeting new people or require time to get to know them. Look for reactions to sounds, visuals, and social interaction. What does she enjoy? What does she dislike or feel overwhelmed by?
• may like lots of sounds and activities or may prefer things to be quieter and calmer.
• They could be very active, or they could be more interested in what they see. Take note of your baby's interests. Does she prefer to move or sit and observe the world?
• Babies at this age start to look to their loved ones for cues about how they feel about a situation. For instance, when a stranger enters the house, a newborn watches his parents' reactions: Are they happy? Is he okay? Doubtful. Show your kid that he or she is good and trustworthy with your face, words, and actions to help him or her adjust when meeting a new people.

Vision development

Between 5 and 8 months:

• Infants develop depth perception, a more sensitive perception of color vision. They can perform tasks such as shifting an object from one hand to the other.
• During this time, children are developing hand-eye coordination and motor abilities.
• Your kid will begin to distinguish between unfamiliar and familiar faces.
• They also learn to focus on items such as toys or even their own fingers or toes.

Supporting eyesight development at 5-8 months:

• Small toys, such as wooden blocks, can help with fine motor development and hand-eye coordination.
• Make sure your kid gets enough floor time so they may observe and explore the world around them.
• Songs and games that feature a motor pattern, like "patty cake" or "so large," can aid visual development and muscle coordination.
• Install a mobile above your child's crib or play area that they can reach, pull, or kick.

Gross Motor Skills

— skills that use large muscles (legs, arms, trunk, and neck):

• Stands, holding on
• Can get into a sitting position
• Move from sitting to lying down
• Sits without support
• Pulls to stand
• Crawls, crawl straight and over/around objects
• Start to cruise around the furniture
• Pull to stand while holding onto furniture
• Walk with 2 hands held
• Babies at this age watch others and then repeat the actions they see
• They like to explore objects and actions and do things over and over again to understand how things work.
• Pulls off socks or hat
• Claps hands together
• Puts objects in containers and takes them out
• Enjoys imitating people
• Understands “no”
• Identifies self in mirror
• Uses pincer grip to pick up small objects
• Stands for 1-2 minutes without support
• Begin to pull to a stand, hold on to furniture while walking, and walk alone.
• Older babies also are beginning to remember things they’ve seen before and may copy something they’ve seen.

Fine Motor Skills

— skills that use small muscles (hands and fingers):

• Reach, grab, and mouth objects
• Can pinch little objects (i.e. cheerios) with finger and thumb
• Can transfer things from one hand to another
• Toss and pick up things
• smack two items
• Purposely let go of things to see what will happen
• Put things in and take them out of containers.
• Chew and bite toys
• Can hold a spoon but cannot yet feed herself
• Holds his own bottle in her hands.
• To help with dressing, extend an arm or leg.
• Says hi or goodbye and wave.

Social-Emotional Skills

— skills that use large muscles (legs, arms, trunk, and neck):

• Fear of strangers
• clingy to known adults
• Has a set of preferred toys
• Expects their needs to be addressed (i.e., crying will result in getting fed, etc.)
• Show happiness seeing her parents’ faces, her toys, or a mirror
• Know strangers from his family, and cry when his parent goes away
• Give affection and love
• Have a fear of new situations

Cognitive skills

— mental skills (thinking, learning, problem-solving):

• Watches how something as it falls
• Looks for things she sees you hide
• Plays peek-a-boo
• Puts things in his mouth
• Transfer things smoothly from one hand to another
• Picks up things by thumb and index finger
• Understand that an object is still there when she can’t see it (e.g., hidden under a blanket)
• Imitate gestures and actions
• Enjoy looking at picture books.
• Knows that things still exist even though I can’t see them—especially you! Be sure to say goodbye to your baby, so he learns to build trust in you.
• Loves to do things over and over again. Help your child take the next step in her play.

Vision Development

9–12-month-old babies are starting to synchronize their eyes and hands.

They will get stronger control of their hands and fingers as they practice, allowing them to pick items up by moving them around with their hands and eyes in sync. At this age, kids should be eating finger foods on their own.

Supporting vision development from nine to 12 months:

• Reading books with your child is a great way to test their sight. Allow your baby lots of time to explore books. They will be exposed to new and different colors, shapes, and images and practice their hand-eye coordination by turning the pages.
• Playing hide and seek using toys or your face is a great way to work on developing your infant’s visual memory. Partially cover your infant’s favorite toy and watch them work on retrieving it.
• Point and label objects when you are out and about with your baby. It encourages not only visual acuity but also language and cognitive development.
• Schedule plenty of face time. Babies still enjoy looking at familiar faces. So make silly faces and give plenty of kisses and tickles.

Gross Motor Skills

— skills that use large muscles (legs, arms, trunk, and neck):

Do not forget to acknowledge and introduce new words in each of your household's languages as your child masters new skills. Topical vocabulary is easier to teach than vocabulary from books of flashcards. It is easier to teach vocabulary in this way than from flashcards. Gross motor development provides an excellent opportunity for children to have hands-on experience while learning new words and concepts.

• Toddlers play and learn all the time, so learning physical skills should be fun.
• They are also growing in other ways. It would help if you gave your kids a chance to explore the environment around them and ask questions, use their imagination, and work on their fine motor skills, like stacking blocks or coloring. Use these new skills to introduce new vocabulary associated with new actions they learn.
• Between 2 and 2 1/2 years old, your child should:
• If demonstrated, can stand on tiptoes.
• Jump down from the bottom step.
• Start riding a tricycle forward with feet on the floor.
• Try to step forward on the balance beam with 2 feet.
• Catch a big ball with your arms straight out.
• Gets into a sitting position on his or her own without any help.
• When he gets up to stand, he walks by, holding onto furniture as he moves around.
• May have to move a few steps without holding on to get there.
• May stand on their own.
• walks independently
• pulls/carries toys while walking
• stoops and gets back up
• begins to run
• kicks a ball
• holds railing going up/down stairs
• walks backward
• Working on pincer grasp - Measuring Tools (Montessori-pincer-precision)

Social-Emotional Skills

• Begin to say "no" when people ask for things like bedtime and other things.
• Understand words and commands and do what they say.
• Hug and kiss their parents, friends, and pets.
• Bring things to show off to other people.
• Start helping around the house.
• Show their anger quickly.
• Be able to play with yourself for a few minutes at a time.
• React to changes in daily routines
• Share a piece of food with someone else.
• Develop a wide range of emotions, such as anger, fear, sadness, and so on (may have tantrums, show aggression by biting, etc)
• Becoming more self-reliant by preferring to accomplish things "on my own"
• Spend more time encouraging what you want to happen.
• MANY times, you will have to tell your toddler what is expected as he learns what is right and wrong.
• Smiling or smirking at herself in the mirror or image
• Imitate what adults do and say (e.g. chores)
• Imitates others during play
• May have temper tantrums
• Plays pretend (talking on a toy phone)
• May show fear with strangers
• Is afraid or shy when meeting new people.
• Cries when mom or dad goes away.
• Has a favorite thing or person.
• Some of the time, he shows fear.
• When he wants to hear a story, he gives you a book.
• Repeats sounds or actions in order to get people's attention.
• stretches arm or leg to help with dressing
• He likes to play games like "peek-a-boo" and "pat-a-cake."
• Some toddlers like to play alone, but they may also be aware of other kids.
• Toddlers find it hard to share, but they will not really share until they are 3 or 4
• "It's mine" is common for your child to say when they see something.
• When your toddler plays with other kids, make sure there are many things for them to use.
• To help your child when they behave in a way that you do not like, you should move them on to another activity instead of telling them what to do.

Cognitive Skills

— skills that use large muscles (legs, arms, trunk, and neck):

• Drinks from a cup and eats with a spoon
• First words, first steps, and first efforts at independence - what an exciting time for you and your growing baby.
• Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing
• Finds hidden things quickly.
• when named, looks at the correct image or thing
• Copies the gestures
• Starts to use things the right way, like drinking from a cup and brushing his hair.
• Bangs two things together to make one.
• Puts items in containers and takes them out
• Lets things happen without help.
• Pokes with the index finger
• Pick up the toy is a simple command that he can follow.
• Recognize her face in the mirror
• Begin to say "no" when people ask you for things like bedtime and other things.
• Enjoy dancing to the music.
• Imitate what adults do and say (e.g., chores)
• Understand words and commands, and do what they say.
• Begin matching like objects
• With a little help, you can recognize and find familiar things in books.
• Understand the difference between "you," "me," and "our."
• Feel proud when they do things on their own.
• Pretend play is a crucial developmental milestone for toddlers at this age. They keep imitating what they see, like sweeping the floor with a child's broom. Now they are starting to understand symbols and ideas, not just things they can touch. They start using objects in new and innovative ways. Offer toys that look like things in your toddler's world, such as a play kitchen with plastic food, a small grocery cart, or a toy telephone. Join his play; let him lead his own stories.
• A spoon can turn into a plane or a toothbrush. Pretend play fosters critical thinking, creativity, and language. Give your child various items to play with and observe how he uses them.

Gross Motor Skills

• Do not forget to acknowledge and introduce new words in each of your household's languages as your child masters new skills. Topical vocabulary is easier to teach than vocabulary from the books of flashcards. It is easier to teach vocabulary in this way than from flashcards. Gross motor development provides an excellent opportunity for children to have hands-on experience while learning new words and concepts.
• Take a look at the skills below and think about your home or target language words. Prepare to name the action as your child does it, and since kids will keep practicing a new skill, you will get to say the name of the action a lot. Precisely what is needed to learn a new language!
• Stand on one foot for a few seconds
• Walk up the stairs alone alternating feet
• Walk down the stairs with two feet on each step.
• Walk on their tiptoe.
• Use the pedals to ride a tricycle.
• Catch a ball with bent arms
• Kick the ball forwards.
• Walk up and down the stairs with your hand in your pocket.
• Run pretty well.
• Jump with their feet together to clear the floor.
• Jump down and forwards
• Squat down to play
• Start to play with ride-on toys.
• Toss a ball into a box.
• Kick the ball forward
• Walks alone
• Pulls toys while walking
• Can help undress herself

Fine Motor Skills

— skills that use small muscles (hands and fingers):

• Build a tower out of 4-6 blocks.
• Put 4 rings on a stick.
• Put large pegs in a pegboard.
• Turn the pages of a book two or three at a time.
• Scribble
• Turn the knobs
• Toss a small ball
• Use her whole arm to move the paintbrush when painting on paper.
• Imitate you drawing a vertical line ( l ) and a circle (it may not be accurate)
• Start stringing huge beads.
• She eats with a fork and spoon.
• You can open a lot of space by pulling up a big zipper.
• Start to hold a crayon with her fingers, usually with her hand at the top of the crayon.
• Put big shapes in a shape sorter.
• Drinks from a cup
• Eats with a spoon

Social-Emotional Skills

There are many more emotions that your child will feel at this age. These include anger and shame. They may start to do what you've told them not to do. It can be challenging for them to deal with new and sometimes confusing emotions, and this can cause temper tantrums. Toddlers use temper tantrums to show how they feel. Examples of ‘tantrum' behaviors:

• being very angry
• crying, screaming, or shouting
• throwing or breaking things
• running away
• kicking or otherwise being aggressive
• becoming rigid
• holding their breath or vomiting
• may be afraid of strangers.
• Shows love to familiar people.
• In unfamiliar surroundings, may cling to caregivers
• If your toddler is hungry or tired, he or she is more likely to throw a tantrum. It is important that your toddler gets enough food and sleep.

Emotional management is also a great way to improve your child's language skills. Use your home language to talk about emotions they feel at the moment. It is essential to name your child's emotions so that you can explain them and redirect their attention to something else. In this example, "you are angry because your mom does not let you play with the electric plug!" :-) I get it now! But electric plugs are very dangerous, and they can damage you. Mommy does not want Alex to get hurt. Mommy takes care of you. Let's play "catch the ball."

Cognitive skills

Your toddler's brain develops nerve connections and pathways between the ages of 18 and 24 months, which are influenced by everything they try to learn and their life experiences. They learn from you and others by copying what they see and hear. You can teach your toddler to do many things just by modeling how to do it and they will repeat. The same thing may be done with language: model words and sentences, repeat numerous times, and give your youngster adequate time to answer or imitate you.

• Knows how to use everyday items including a phone, brush, and spoon
• Points to make people pay attention to.
• Plays simple pretend games like feeding a doll or pet animal.
• Points to a particular body part
• He scribbles independently
• Can follow one-step verbal directions without gestures, such as “sit down”
• Shows interest in potty
• Displays a diverse range of emotions
• Displays a defiant attitude
• Builds four-block skyscrapers or more.
• Can recall the majority of commonplace items
• As your toddler gains confidence in his or her ability to walk, run, and climb, a new sense of freedom arises.
• It's possible that you'll have to toddler-proof your home once more!
• You may see your child watching and imitating others as he or she continues to explore the world.
• You may notice that your child is repurposing goods, such as a toothbrush as a brush for their plush animal.
• Points for showing something interesting to others
• Explores on her own, but with her parent nearby.

This is a fun period since babies are getting older and can use their emerging language skills to express themselves. They are also making new friends, and their expanding physical abilities—walking, running, and climbing—allow them to explore the world in more adventurous ways. It is also the start of Toilet Training.

By 24 months, most kids can control their bowels and bladder. This is required for kids to use the toilet physically, and the emotional readiness to use the potty varies. The child uses his body to discover new things; therefore, take a walk around your neighborhood together with your child so that he can understand the world through language. Then, ask what your child thinks. This helps to encourage social skills while acknowledging feelings.

At this stage, your toddler gets incredibly skilled at pretending; pretend play can help your child deal with difficult situations. Your baby will want to make friends but struggle to share. Hence, allow your toddler to play regularly with her peers.

Gross motor skills

• Run around obstacles
• Walk on a line and backward
• Balance on one foot for 5 – 10 seconds
• Hop on her preferred foot
• Walk up and down stairs one foot on each step, without support
• Jump from 12 inches with feet together
• Use a slide independently
• Climb well (not including ladders)
• Runs easily
• Pedals a tricycle (3-wheel bike)
• Kick a ball
• Stands on tiptoe

How Much Activity Is Enough?

The current guidelines from the National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE) say that kids between the ages of 12 and 36 months should do at least 30 minutes of organized physical activity (adult-led) every day and at least 60 minutes of unstructured exercise (free play).

They should not stay still for more than an hour at once, except when asleep. That's a lot of work for parents and caregivers, but it's also a lot of important play for toddlers. Remember that your child is learning a lot as they move around.

Fine motor skills

• Can build an eight‐block tower.
• Make playdough balls, snakes, cookies, etc.
• Build with large linking pieces like Megablocks or Duplo
• Draw a circle by herself
• Make a copy of a cross (+)
• Imitate your drawing of a square
• Begin to maturely hold a crayon or pencil (pincer grasp)
• Cut through a piece of paper and a straight line.
• Organize buttons
• Can put on most of her own clothes, but shirts and jackets require assistance.
• Feed himself well with a spoon and fork
• Imitates drawing a vertical line and horizontal strokes on paper.
• Can remove a screw/twist-on lid from a container.
• Can turn one page at a time.
• Can string several large beads onto a piece of yarn.

Cognitive Development

(learning, thinking, problem-solving)

• Sort and match items by colors, size, shape
• Identify pieces of a whole, like a car's wheel.
• Draw a simple picture and describe it (you might not recognize it)
• Ask "why?" and "how?"
• Can tell his name and age.
• Play activity for a longer time (5-15 minutes)
• Know the difference between past and present.
• Like to sing, dance, or act.
• Groups objects, such as foods or clothes
• Identifies colors
• Understand how books should be handled and pretend to read them.
• Share books with an adult as a routine part of life.
• Name some objects and characters in a book.
• Look at pictures in books and realize they are symbols of real things.
• Listen to stories.
• Ask or demand that adults read or write with them.
• Begin to pay attention to specific print such as the first letters of their names.
• Scribble with a purpose (trying to write or draw something).
• Produce some letter-like forms and scribbles that resemble, in some way, writing.
• Can manipulate toys using levers and buttons
• Pretends to be someone or something else
• Does 3 or 4-piece puzzles
• Knows what “two” means
• Turns door doorknob or screws jar lids
• Will ask for help.
• Can follow two-step commands.

Social-Emotional Development 

• Take turns with toys and plays
• Start or join games with other kids.
• Simple game rules, yet a desire to win
• Begin dramatic play by acting out scenes like traveling or being animals.
• Bossy and defiant
• More self-reliance
• Feel a wide range of emotions (ie: jealousy, excitement, fear, happiness, anger)
• Less egocentric
• Be calmer and more helpful with parents
• May show attachment to one friend
• Copies of adults and friends
• Shows affection for friends without prompting
• Shows concern for a crying friend
• Dresses and undresses
• Understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”
• Separates easily from family members
• May get upset with major changes in routine
• Do not be surprised when you see your child being dramatic - he can play by acting out scenes like traveling or being an animal; he might start or join games with other kids and take turns with toys and aid. He wants to make new friends but still needs help sharing with others. Allow your child to play with children her age regularly. It improves social abilities. Assist your child in resolving problems related to sharing and taking turns. Let him know you understand how difficult it is to share. Until it is his turn, assist him in finding another toy to play with. To help him learn to wait, set a kitchen timer.
• As you allow your child to play independently, let it be under your supervision to guide and monitor his emotion. Your child feels a wide range of jealousy, excitement, fear, happiness, and anger. Beware of what your child gets exposed to at this stage because his exposure impacts his behavior. He can be bossy and defiant but less egocentric as he shows attachment to one friend and copies adults and friends. He shows more concern for a crying friend, shows affection without prompting, and separates easily from family members. However, he becomes calmer and more helpful with his parents.
• The concept of selfishness begins to emerge as the child understands the idea of "mine" and "his" or "hers," even while playing the game, the desire to win is always high. If he is eventually defeated, he could start crying or displaying defiant behavior. He may get upset with major changes in routine
• He wants to make new friends but still needs help sharing with others. Allow your child to play with children her age regularly. It improves social abilities. Assist your child in resolving problems related to sharing and taking turns. Let her know you understand how difficult it is to share. Until it is her turn, assist her in finding another toy to play with. To help her learn to wait, set a kitchen timer.

Children begin to focus on the social role of speech in the third year. They begin conversing, playing together, taking turns, and sharing more. It is time to educate socially acceptable behavior and good manners. Children need to interact with others, therefore, learning to say hello, goodbye, please, may I play with you?" and stop is vital for pre-school children. Kids can often combine three or four-word phrases. Preschoolers comprehend and express themselves better. You should now understand around 75% of your child's words.

Also, children learn some practical skills such as dressing and undressing themselves, acquiring more language through science, math, and art, and improving their physical coordination by jumping, hopping, climbing, sprinting, etc. Fine motor skills are ready for letters, print, and scribbling. Do not forget to include counting, measures, and reading aloud in your minority and home languages.

Gross motor skills

• Runs easily, and is capable of running around obstacles
• Walks in a straight line
• For 5–10 seconds, keeps the balance on one foot
• Hops on her favorite foot
• Can ride tricycles
• Walk up and downstairs with alternating feet (one foot on each step), without support
• Jump from 12 inches with feet together
• Use a slide independently
• Climb well (not including ladders)
• Skip, leading with 1 leg

Fine motor skills

• Can build an eight‐block tower.
• Make playdough balls, snakes, cookies, etc.
• Build with large linking pieces like Megablocks or Duplo
• Draw a circle by herself
• Make a copy of a cross (+)
• Imitate your drawing a square
• Begin to maturely hold a crayon or pencil (pincer grasp)
• Cut through a piece of paper and a straight line.
• Organize buttons
• Can put on most of her own clothes, but shirts and jackets require assistance.
• Feed himself well with a spoon and fork
• Imitates drawing a vertical line and horizontal strokes on paper.
• Can remove a screw/twist-on lid from a container.
• Can turn one page at a time.
• Can string several large beads onto a piece of yarn.

How much physical activity do they need?

The National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE) recommends that children from 12 to 36 months undertake the following daily:

• 30 minutes of organized physical exercise (adult-led) and 60 minutes of free workout (free play)
• They should not stay motionless for more than an hour at a time unless they are sleeping. This is a lot of effort for parents and caregivers but getting enough movement play for toddlers is crucial.
• Remember that your toddler is constantly learning as they move.

Social-Emotional Development

• Preschoolers as young as three years old can learn and improve their socio-emotional skills, such as empathy, friendship, and conflict resolution. We also anticipate them demonstrating the majority of the abilities listed below.
• Take turns with toys and in games
• Start to play with other children, instead of next to them.
• Can follow simple game rules, but wants to win all the time
• Begin dramatic play by acting out scenes like traveling or being animals.
• Bossy and defiant
• More self-reliance
• Feels and shows a wide range of emotions (i.e.: jealousy, excitement, fear, happiness, anger)
• begin to understand that other people have feelings and rights.
• Less egocentric
• Calmer and more helpful with parents
• May show attachment to one friend
• Copies of adults and friends
• Shows concern for a crying friend
• Dresses and undresses
• Understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”
• Separates easily from family members
• May get upset with major changes in routine
• He wants to make new friends but still needs help sharing with others. Allow your child to play with children her age regularly. It improves social abilities. Assist your child in resolving problems related to sharing and taking turns. Let her know you understand how difficult it is to share. Until it is her turn, assist her in finding another toy to play with. To help her learn to wait, set a kitchen timer.

Cognitive Development

(learning, thinking, problem-solving)

• Sort and match items by size, shape, and color
• Understand the idea of the same and different
• Groups objects, such as food or clothes
• Identify pieces of a whole, like a car's wheel.
• Ask "why?" and "how?"
• Tell me his name and age.
• Play activity for a longer time (5-15 minutes)
• Like to sing, dance, or act.
• Identifies colors
• Pretend to read books.
• Understand how books should be handled.
• Turns book pages one by one
• Share books with an adult as a routine part of life.
• Name some objects in a book.
• Talk about characters in books.
• Remember parts of a story
• Look at pictures in books and realize they are symbols of real things.
• Listen to stories.
• Recognize and identify common objects and pictures
• Ask or demand that adults read or write with them.
• Begin to pay attention to specific print such as the first letters of their names.
• Scribble with a purpose (trying to write or draw something).
• Produce some letter-like forms and scribbles that resemble, in some way, writing.
• Draw a simple picture and describe it (you might not recognize it)
• Make a circle with a pencil or crayon
• Can manipulate toys using levers and buttons
• Turns door doorknob or screws jar lids
• Does 3- or 4-piece puzzles
• Builds 6+ block towers
• Are increasingly self-reliant and probably can dress with little help.
• May develop fears ("Mommy, there's a monster under my bed.") and have imaginary companions.
• Pretend and fantasize more creatively
• Pretends to be someone or something else
• Follow three-part commands
• Understand time better (for example, morning, afternoon, and night)
• Know the difference between past and present.
• Count, and understand the concept of counting
• Knows what “two” means

Gross motor skills

• Balance on 1 foot for 10 seconds
• Alternate foot skips
• Begin to do the jump rope.
• Throw a ball at a target to hit the right spot.
• Jump back
• While swinging, pump and maintain momentum (may be started with a forward push)
• Climb a playground slide ladder.
• Can Hop and stand on one foot for 2 seconds
• Usually catches a bouncing ball

Fine motor skills

• Start to use one hand all the time for fine motor tasks.
• Cut along a straight & curved line (like a circle) with scissors
• Draw a cross on her own (+)
• Can copy a square, may draw diagonal lines in a triangle.
• Coloring inside the lines of a picture.
• Begin drawing recognizable images.
• Begin learning how to print uppercase letters.
• Use Duplo or Lego to build things.
• Put on his own clothes but may require assistance with buttons/zippers.
• Begin to spread butter or cut soft foods with a table knife (with supervision)
• Pours, cuts with supervision, and mashes own food

Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)

• Plays with words, sounds, and rhymes.
• Names many colors and shapes.
• Recognizes a few letters and numbers
• Recognizes his printed name
• Draws a person in detail
• Draws, names, and describes images
• Counts up to 5
• Can tell his address (street and city).
• Follows game rules but occasionally modifies them.
• Likes to try new things.
• Is getting more imaginative with pretend play.
• Prefer to play with other kids than alone and collaborate with them
• Plays "Mom" or "Dad"
• Can't always tell what's real and what's made up.
• Talks about what they like and what they are interested in.
• Stays with a task for 11-12 minutes.
• Matches and sorts items in multiple ways
• Starts to comprehend the concept of time
• Understands the concepts of "same" and "different"
• Plays board games and card games.
• Tells you what he thinks will happen next in a book.