Last Updated on August 19, 2026
Content
• Gross motor
• Fine motor
• Speech and language
• Social Behavior, Self care-and Play
u003cstrongu003eGross Motoru003c/strongu003e
• 6 weeks
• 3 months
• 6 months
• 9 months
• 12 months
• 15 months
• 18 months
• 2 years
• 2.5 yeats
• 3 years
• 4 years
• 5 years
6 weeks
• Pulled to sit: head lag & rounded back
• Ventral suspension: Head held up momentarily in same plane as body
• Prone:
– Pelvis high but knees no longer under abdomen
– Chin raised momentarily off couch
– Head turned to one side
3 months
• Pulled to sit: slight head lag & head occasionally bobs forward
• Ventral suspension: Head held above body plane
• Prone :
– Pelvis flat
– Head lifted up 45 – 90°
– Weight supported on forearms
6 months
• Pulled to sit:
– Head lifted off couch
– Sits with support
– Bears full weight on legs
• Prone:
– Weight supported on hands with chest & upper part of body off couch
• Rolls over from prone to supine (5 – 6 months)
• Rolls over from supine to prone (6 – 7 months)
9 months
• Sitting:
– Sits steadily
– Leans forward to pick toys without losing balance
• Progresses on floor by rolling, wriggling on abdomen or crawling
• Standing:
– Stands holding on to furniture
12 months
• Gets from lying to sitting to crawling to standing
• Standing:
– Stands alone
• Walking:
– Walks on hands and feet
– Walks with one hand held
– May walk alone
15 months
• Walking:
– Walks alone with broad based gait
• Stair climbing:
– Creeps up stairs
18 months
• Squats to pick up toy
• Walking:
– Walks well
– Carry large doll or teddy while walking
– Runs rather stiffly though seldom falls
• Stair climbing:
– Walks up and down stairs with help
2 years
• Walking:
– Walks backward pulling toy handle
– Walks into large ball while trying to kick it
– Runs safely, avoiding obstacles
• Stair climbing:
– Walks up and down stairs alone
– 2 feet per step
2.5 years (30 months)
• Standing:
– Stands on tiptoe if shown
• Walking:
– Kicks large ball gently
• Stair climbing:
– Jumps with 2 feet together from a low step
–
3 years (36 months)
• Standing:
– Stands on 1 foot momentarily
• Walking:
– Walks on tiptoe
– Kicks large ball forcibly
– Throws a ball overhand
• Stair climbing:
– Walks upstairs 1 foot per step, downstairs 2 feet per step
• Rides tricycle
4 years
• Standing:
– Stands on tiptoe
– Stands on 1 foot 3 – 5 seconds
– Hops on one foot
• Walking:
– Walks or runs on tiptoe
• Stair climbing:
– Walks or runs upstairs / downstairs 1 foot per step
5 years
• Standing:
– Stands on 1 foot 8 – 10 seconds
– Skips on alternate foot
• Walking:
– Walks on narrow line
• Dances on music
u003cstrongu003eFine Motoru003c/strongu003e
• 6 weeks
• 3 months
• 6 months
• 9 months
• 12 months
• 15 months
• 18 months
• 2 years
• 2.5 yeats
• 3 years
• 4 years
• 5 years
6 weeks
• Fixates on objects
• In supine, follows object from side to midline (90°)
• Defensive blink (6 – 8 weeks)
3 months
• Follows dangling toys from side to side (180°)
• Hand regard
• Hands loosely open
• Holds rattles placed in hands momentarily
6 months Therefore, any abnormal squint is abnormal
•
Eyes move together
• Follows activities across room with alertness
• Palmar grasp of cube
• Drops 1 cube when another is given (6 months)
• Retain 1 cube at hand while another is given (7 months)
• Transfer objects from one hand to another (7 months)
9 months
• Looks in correct direction of fallen toy
• Inferior pincer grasp
• Release toy by dropping or pressing against firm surface
• Pokes at small object
• Points object at distant with index finger
• Grasp string to pull toy (causal understanding)
12 months
• Neat pincer grasp
• Bangs 2 cubes
• Points at object of interest with index finger
15 months
• Tower of 2 cubes
• Holds 2 cubes in one hand
• Scribbling:
– To and from scribbling with palmar grasp
18 months
• Tower of 3 cubes
• Enjoys putting small objects into and out of containers
• Scribbling:
– Scribbles spontaneously
• Enjoys picture books, turns few pages at a time
• Hand preference
2 years
• Tower of 6 – 7 cubes
• Imitates train of cubes, without adding chimney
• Scribbling:
– Circular scribbles
– Imitates vertical line
• Enjoys picture books, turns pages singlye
2.5 years (30 months)
• Tower of 7 – 8 cubes
• Imitates train, adding chimney
• Scribbling:
– Imitates horizontal line and vertical line
• Recognizes minute details in picture books –
3 years (36 months)
• Tower of 9 – 10 cubes
• Imitates bridge with 3 cubes
• Scribbling:
– Copies circle
– Imitates cross (+)
– Draws a man on request (3 – 10 years)
• Cuts with scissors
4 years
• Builds 3 steps with 6 cubes after demonstration
• Scribbling:
– Copies cross
– Draws a person with head, trunk and legs
– Holds pencil with good control
• Matches 4 primary colors
5 years
• Copies square (5 years)
• Copies triangle (5.5 years)
• Draws a man with head, trunk, arms, legs and features
• Colors neatly, staying within outlines
• Can cut a strip of paper neatly
u003cstrongu003eSpeech u0026amp; Languageu003c/strongu003e
• 6 weeks
• 3 months
• 6 months
• 9 months
• 12 months
• 15 months
• 18 months
• 2 years
• 2.5 yeats
• 3 years
• 4 years
• 5 years
6 weeks
• Startled/Quietens to sound (4 weeks)
• Vocalises when talked to at (8 weeks)
3 months
• Squeals of pleasure
• Says ‘aah’ or ‘naah’ when spoken to
• Turns head to sound at same level
6 months
• Smiles and vocalises at mirror image
• Monosyllabic babble
• Polysyllabic sounds formed-ba.da.ka (7 months)
• Turns head towards sound above ear level (7 – 9 months)
9 months
• Responds to name
• Babbles loudly in long repetitive syllables
• Understands ‘No’ and ‘Bye-bye’
• Imitates playful sounds e.g. cough, ‘brrr’
• Locates sounds above and below ear level
12 months
• Knows and responds to name
• Babbles in conversational cadences.
• 1 – 3 words with meaning
• Understand simple instructions
• Locates sounds in all direction
15 months
• Jargon
• 2 – 6 intelligible words
• Obeys simple commands
• Points to familiar persons / toys when requested
18 months
• Jargon
• 6 – 20 intelligible words
• Points to 2 – 3 body parts
2 years
• Uses 50 or more words
• Uses 2 – 3 word phrases
• Name familiar objects and pictures
• Follows a series of 2 simple but related commands
• Points to 6 body parts
• Joins in nursery rhymes and sings
2.5 years (30 months)
• Knows full name
• Speak in phrases
• Uses pronouns (I, me, you) correctly
• Frequently asks question (what, who)
• Can select pictures of action e.g. which one is eating
3 years (36 months)
• Gives full name, gender, sometimes age
• Uses personal pronouns and most prepositions correctly
• Asks many questions (what, where, who)
• Identify objects by function, e.g. which one we can drink from
• Counts by rote up to 10 or more, but does not appreciate quantity beyond 2 or 3
• Name 2 colors
4 years
• Gives full name, age, and address
• Speech grammatically correct and completely intelligible
• Listen to and tell long stories
• Counts by rote up to 20 and begins to count by word, and touch up to 4 or 5
• Name 4 colors
5 years
• Names birthday and home address
• Define nouns by use
• Uses ‘first’, ‘then’, ‘last’
• Enjoys jokes and riddles
• Tells time
References:
1. Paediatric Protocol 4th ed (2019)
u003cstrongu003eSocial Behavior, Self care-and Playu003c/strongu003e
6 weeks
• Social smile
Back
3 months
• Sustained social contact
• Responds with pleasure to friendly handling
Back
6 months⤢×
• Mouthing
• Place hand on bottle and pats
Pat = a quick, light touch with the hand.
• Grasps feet
• Stretches arm out to be carried
• Shows delighted responses to rough and tumble play
• Still friendly with strangers
• Becomes more reserved to strangers (after 7 months)
Back
9 months⤢×
• Mouthing
• Holds and bites small piece of food
• Plays Peek-a-boo, waves bye-bye
• Imitates hand clapping
• Understand object permanence
Object permanence = understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be sensed
Example
• Stranger anxiety
Back
12 months⤢×
• Drinks from cup with assistance
• Finds toys hidden from view
• Gives toys on request
• Helps with dressing
• Plays Pat-a-cake
Pat-a-cake = a children’s game in which participants gently clap their hands in time to the words of a rhyme
Example
• Demonstrates affection to family
• Enjoy joint interactive play with adults
Back
15 months
⤢×
• Holds and drinks from cup
• Attempts to hold spoon
• Functional play e.g. pushing toy car
• Repeated casting
Casting = throw (something) forcefully in a specified direction
Back
18 months
• Mouthing stops
• Uses spoon well
• Imitates housework
• Assists in dressing
• Casting less often
• Plays contently alone but likes to be near familiar adult
Back
2 years
⤢×
• Puts on shoes, socks, pants
• Tantrums when frustrated but attention is usually easily distracted
• Parallel play — Watches others play and plays near them, but not with them
• Pretend play
Pretend play = Make believe play = a loosely structured form of play that generally includes role-play, object substitution and nonliteral behavior.
Example
• Dry by day
Back
2.5 years (30 months)
• Eats skillfully
• Tantrums when thwarted and is less distracted
• More sustained role play e.g. putting dolls to bed, feeding them
• May be dry by night, variable
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3 years (36 months)
• Eats independently
• Washes hands
• Joins in active pretend play with other children
• Understands sharing toys
• May be dry by night
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4 years
• Brushes teeth, dresses independently except for laces, tie and back buttons
• Understands need for turn taking in play
• Imaginative dressing up and pretend play
• Appreciates past, present and future time
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5 years
• Dresses and undresses alone
• Chooses own friend
• Engages in elaborate make believe (pretend play) group play
• Cooperative with companions and understands need for rule and fair play
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