Developmental Milestones

Speech

• Undifferentiated cry
• Can make glottal and vowel sounds
• Some variety in non-crying sounds
• Produces single syllables
• Begins blowing bubbles
• Coos, gurgles, and sighs
• Begins to imitate some sounds

Meaning & Concepts

• Startles to loud sounds
• Moves eyes toward sound and light
• Fixes gaze on objects
• Briefly holds and inspects objects
• Mouths some objects
• Responds to voices
• Shows interest in sounds
• Watches faces intently
• Follows moving objects with eyes
• Recognizes familiar objects and people
• Begins to use hands and eyes together

Play & Movement

• Stares vacantly for long spells
• Hands are either clenched or open
• Reacts to paper or cloth on face
• Raises head when prone
• Will grasp object when placed in hand
• Reaches for object but misses
• Holds a toy for a short time

Grammar

Interaction & Expression

• Comforts self with help
• Shows intense interest in familiar faces
• Briefly looks at people
• Follows moving person with eyes
• Quiets in response to familiar voice
• Smiles/coos in response to another smile/voice
• Cries differently when tired, hungry, or in pain
• Quiets when picked up
• Imitates some movements and facial expressions

Speech

• First tooth
• Begins babbling (VCV, ”aga”)
• Puts lips together and says, “m”
• Vocalizes pleasure and displeasure
• Quiets at sight of adult
• Enjoys hearing own voice
• Self-initiates vocal play
• Coos, chuckles, gurgles, and laughs
• Babbles to self, others, and objects
• Babbling shows pitch and inflection change
• Vocally expresses eagerness
• Imitates sounds
• Improved jaw control

Meaning & Concepts

• Anticipates feeding upon sight of bottle
• Watches or closely attends to movement patterns
• Smiles on sight of face
• Recognizes spoon or bottle
• Laughs when playing with objects
• Turns head at name
• Begins to recognize words

Play & Movement

• Puts objects in mouth
• Watches hands
• Plays actively when propped in play area 10-15 minutes
• Looks intently at and shakes noisemaker
• Generally inspects surroundings
• Smiles, fingers mirror image
• Increases activity at sight of toy
• Works for toy out of reach
• Head control established in midline
• Bangs with object held in hand
• Transfers object from one hand to another
• Rolls over both ways
• Raises head and chest when prone
• Sits with support

Grammar

NOTE

Due to the highly variable nature of syntactic and morphological development and due to the lack of sufficient research in the area, the age levels listed are approximations of when certain forms and constructions may appear.

Interaction & Expression

• Fixes gaze on faces
• Imitates sounds
• Turns head at name
• Listens to voices
• Makes noise when talked to
• Seeks attention in ways other than crying
• Turns head toward a sound source
• Uses voice to show pleasure and displeasure
• Watches faces when people speak

Speech

• Sounds m, M, d, b, p, y begin to appear in babbhng
• Babbles tunefully-singing tones
• Uses wide variety of sound combinations
• inflected vocal play-intonation patterns heard
• Imitates intonation and speech sounds
• Reduplicative babbling begins (“ha-ba-ha”)
• Tries to make word-like sounds
• Responds to sound by making sounds
• Babbles chains of sounds

Meaning & Concepts

• Attempts to imitate gestures
• Understands parental gestures
• Looks at common objects when named
• Looks at family members when named
• Shows interest in pictures when named
• Searches for partially hidden objects
• Bangs objects together
• Performs many actions on objects (shakes, tears,slides, mouths, rubs)
• Sight of object or person produces gesture(emerging nomination)
• Explores with hands and mouth
• Reaches for objects that are out of reach
• Responds to own name
• Can tell emotions by tone of voice

Play & Movement

• Explores toys with fingers and mouth
• Sits without support
• Drinks from cup
• Eyes and hands work well together
• Pulls self to standing position
• Crawls on belly
• Stands or cruises around holding on to something
• Drags a toy toward self
• Lunges forward or starts crawling
• Plays pat-a-cake
• Rolls both ways (front to back, back to front)
• Can support entire weight on legs
• Reaches with 1 hand
• Transfers objects from hand to hand
• Uses hand to rake objects
• Develops full-color vision
• Distance vision matures
• Ability to track moving objects improves

Grammar

Interaction & Expression

• Initiates vocalizing to another person
• Enjoys being played with
• Recognizes familiar people
• Cries when parent leaves room
• Imitates familiar sounds and actions
• Shows interest in mirror images
• Responds to emotions in others
• Giggles and shows off
• Starts to show fear of strangers
• Smiles when smiled at

Speech

• Babbles with inflection (“ba-ba-ba,””ma-ma-ma”)
• May acquire first true word
• Tries to imitate words
• Tries to repeat sounds
• Uses exclamations, such as, “Oh-oh!”
• Uses most sounds in vocal play
• Vocalizes to mirror
• Uses low, non-rounded vowels

Meaning & Concepts

• Begins to use objects correctly
• Explores objects in many different ways
• Finds hidden objects
• imitates gestures
• Shows awareness of more than 1 object
• Looks at correct picture when named
• Pays increasing attention to speech
• Responds to ‘’no”
• Responds to simple verbal requests
• Responds to simple questions with searching movements
• Turns head immediately to own name
• Understands and follows simple commands regarding body action
• Understands the meaning of hot
• Gives block, toy, or object on request
• Uses 1-10 words
• Uses simple gestures, such as shaking head for “no”
• Shows what he/she wants
• Tries to communicate by actions or gestures
• Communicates displeasure when object is removed

Play & Movement

• Bangs 2 objects together
• Can bring one object above another
• Creeps on hands and knees
• Drinks from a cup
• Moves from sitting to crawling or prone
• Holds cup and drinks
• Holds crayon, imitates scribble
• Lets objects go voluntarily
• Places one block after another on table (prerequisite to counting)
• Plays ball with another person
• Pokes with index finger
• Pulls self up to stand
• Responds to music
• Stacks rings on pegs
• Stands momentarily without support
• Brings objects to mouth-uses tongue more
• Takes a few steps with help
• Takes objects out of container
• Throws or drops objects intentionally
• Uses pincer grasp
• Claps

Grammar

Interaction & Expression

• Affectionate with familiar people
• Begins affecting others’ behavior physically pats, pulls, tugs on adult)
• Begins to vary behavior according to reaction of others
• Cries when mother or father leaves
• Enjoys imitating people in play
• Entertains self in bed or at play
• Extends arms to be picked up
• May be fearful in some situations
• Participates in pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo
• Prefers mother and/or regular caregiver over all others
• Reaches to request an object
• Repeats sounds or gestures for attention
• Shakes head “no”and pushes undesired objects away
• Shouts or coughs to attract attention
• Shows preferences for certain people and toys
• Shy or anxious with strangers
• Tests parental responses to actions
• Throws tantrums
• Waves ”bye”

Speech

• Uses sentence-like intonation (jargon)
• Some echolalia
• Uses most vowels and consonants
• Omits final consonants and some initial consonants
• Basically unintelligible, with exception of a few words
• Words produced with (V structure (bo/boat) emerge

Meaning & Concepts

• Follows simple, 1-step commands
• Points to recognized objects (emerging nomination)
• Points to wanted objects (emerging state)
• Begins to claim certain objects (emerging possession)
• Points to 1-3 body parts on command
• Identifies 2 or more objects or pictures from a group
• Notices others’ emotions
• Follows simple directions accompanied by gestures
• Points to objects, pictures, and family member
• Begins developing receptive vocabulary
• Reaches for named object
• Easily learns associations between words and objects
• Uses 3-50 words
• Vocalizes with gestures
• Says, “All gone” (emerging negative)
• Answers question, ”What’s this?”
• Asks for”more” (emerging recurrence)
• Answers simple questions nonverbally
• Accurately imitates some words
• Says 2-3 words to label a person or object

Play & Movement

• Solitary or self-play
• Continual walking activities
• Begins running-stiff and awkward
• Removes mittens, socks, hat; unzips zipper
• Puts objects in and out of containers
• Learning to overcome some obstacles (opening doors, reaching high places)
• Imitates many actions and activities
• Carries and hugs dolls or teddy bears
• Shifts attention very rapidly
• Loves to jump and throw
• Scribbles with a crayon
• Loves to look at books and be read to
• Likes songs and rhymes
• Attends to a book or toy for about 2 minutes
• Likes big and little toys

Grammar

• 50% of all utterances are nouns
• Mean length of response is 1 or 2 words
• Average about 10 words in production
• Simple word combinations appear

Interaction & Expression

• Brings object to show an adult
• Requests objects by pointing and vocalizing
• Solicits attention vocally or physically
• Requests action/assistance with gestures
• Learning words like bye, hi, thank you, and please
• Protests by saying “no,”shaking head, moving away, frowning, or pushing object away
• Points and vocalizes to comment on actions, objects, and people
• Answers simple wh- questions with vocal response (may be unintelligible)
• Acknowledges speech of another by making eye contact or vocalizing
• Teases, scolds, warns, using gesture plus a vacalization or word approximation
• Imitates mom or other family member
• Asserts independence

Speech

• Says several single words (by 15-18 months)
• Uses simple phrases (by 18-24 months)
• Repeats words overheard in conversation
• Words increase in frequency-jargon almost gone by 2 years
• Asks questions by raising intonation at end of phrase
• Improvement in intelligibility: 25-50% intelligible
• Appearance of words produced with CVC structure (hot)

Meaning & Concepts

• Understands approximately 300 words
• Distinguishes food from other objects
• Follows simple instructions
• Imitates immediate events
• Listens as pictures are named
• Listens to simple stories
• Object permanence fully acquired
• Recognizes names of familiar people, objects, and body parts
• Responds to yes/no questions (head shake)
• Understands simple verbs, such as eat, sleep
• Follows simple commands without gestures
• Uses approximately 50 recognizable words
• Names many familiar objects
• Produces animal sound or uses its name
• States toilet needs
• Says own name on request
• Says “no”
• Tells about immediate experiences
• Combines 2 words into phrases
• Begins to use some verbs and adjectives
• Asks for common foods by name
• Uses agent + action
• Uses invented words

Play & Movement

• Begins make-believe play
• Begins to sort by shape and color
• Builds tower of 4 or more blocks
• Pulls or carries toys while walking
• Climbs on and off furniture
• Finds hidden objects
• Kicks a ball
• Shifts attention less rapidly
• Likes to play with flexible materials, such as clay
• Little social give-and-take
• Parallel play-plays near others but not with them
• Scribbles
• Stands on tiptoe
• Strings beads
• Talks to self as he/she plays
• Turns over container to pour out contents
• Walks alone
• Walks up and down stairs with support
• Helps with simple chores

Grammar

• Begins to use pronouns such as mine
• Starts to use you and me
• Follows directions using 1 on spatial concepts (in/on)
• Negation used in form of “no” (“No bed”)
• Possessive emerging (“Daddy car”)
• Refers to self with pronoun and name (“Me Tommy”)
• 33% of utterances are nouns
• Combines 2 words into phrase (approximately 2 years) in noun + verb or noun + adjective format
• Mean length of response is 1.8 words
• Beginning sentence construction
• Often missing inflection

Interaction & Expression

• Begins to show defiant behavior
• Begins using single words and 2-word phrases to command (“move”), indicate possession (“mine”), express problems (“owee”)
• Demonstrates increasing independence
• Imitates behavior of others, especially adults and older children
• More aware of self as separate from others
• More excited about company of other children
• Much verbal turn-taking
• Names objects in front of others
• Says, “What’s that?” to elicit attention
• Separation anxiety increases toward midyear and then fades
• Uses single words or short phrases to express intentions
• Ready for potty training

Speech

• Approximately 60-70% intelligible
• May omit final consonant blends
• May substitute one consonant for another
• Sounds m, n, p, b, t, d, h, and w used in speech
• Sounds nk, k, and g are emerging
• Consonants (m, b, p) used at end of words
• Often shortens words or leaves out middle sounds
• Speech is 50-75% understandable to friends and family
• Use of jargon is decreasing
• Able to whisper

Meaning & Concepts

• Understands approximately 500 words
• Listens to 5-10-minute story
• Carries out series of2 related commands
• Identifies action in pictures
• Understands concept of “one”and “all”
• Uses 200 intelligible words
• Names 6 objects by use
• Repeats 2 numbers correctly
• Answers “where”questions
• Answers “what. . .doing” questions
• Answers ”What do you hear with?”

Play & Movement

• Plays next to other children
• Arranges doll furniture into meaningful groups and uses doll figures to act out simple themes from own experience
• Aligns 3 or more cubes to make train
• Builds tower of 6-7 blocks
• Imitates drawing of vertical line
• Uses sequenced actions in play, such as preparing food for doll, feeding it, wiping its mouth

Grammar

• Articles a and the appear in sentences
• Uses present progressive -ing on verbs
• Regular plural forms emerging (cat-cats)
• Uses in and on correctly
• Irregular past tense emerging
• Uses some contractions in memorized form (don’t, can’t, it’s, that’s)
• Appropriately uses at least 2 pronouns
• Asks basic questions (“Daddy gone?”)
• Understands concept of frrst- and second-person pronouns (I, you)
• 25% of utterances are nouns, and 25% are verbs
• Combines 2-3 words in subject + verb + object format
• Mean length of response is 2.8 words

Interaction & Expression

• Oriented to self
• Learning to clean up/put away
• Imitates others
• Takes turns in simple games
• Emotions are unstable
• Impatient
• Relies on routine
• Acts silly to gain attention
• Acts out in frustration when unable to express emotions

Speech

• Still some substitution and distortion of consonants
• Intelligibility continues to improve-now 50-80% intelligible to familiar listeners
• Consonants masteted by age 3: p, m, w, h, n, b

Meaning & Concepts

• Understands approximately 900 words
• Points to pictures of 10 objects described by use
• Listens to 20-minute story
• Knows own gender and difference
• Knows in, on, and under
• Knows big and little
• Matches colors
• Completes 3-place form board, matches shapes
• Cautious of common dangers (stairways,animals)
• Has complicated, sequenced routines for daily activities (bedtime, meals); objects to change (beginning of time/sequence awareness)
• Uses 250-400 words
• Uses Soo intelligible words
• Answers 6-7 agent 4- action questions (”What runS?”)
• Answers simple ”who,””why,””where,””how many”questions (3 years)
• Answers 1 of3 questions (”What do you do when you’re hungry/sleepy/cold?”)
• Asks simple questions (”What’s that?”)
• Yes/no questions emerging (”Is he sleeping?”)
• Repeats sentence of 6-7 syllables accurately

Play & Movement

• Dramatization and imagination begin to enter play (make~believe and pretend)
• Beginning interest in cooperative play-plays with others in small groups
• Interest in combining playthings
• Is willing to wait his/ her turn
• Will put toys away with some supervision
• Watches cartoons on TV
• Names own drawing
• Builds tower of 9 blocks
• Puts together 4-part nesting toy
• Stacks 5 or more rings on a peg in order of size
• Draws horizontal line in imitation
• Imitates drawing a circle

Grammar

• Uses auxiliary is/am + -ing (“Girl is running”)
• Uses is + adjective (”Ball is red”)
• Regular past tense verbs appear (walk-walked)
• Uses ‘s for possession (”Daddy’s car”)
• Uses pronouns – I, me, you, mine, (he, she, it emerging)
• Negative not emerging
• Uses contracted form of is (“He’s running”)
• Adverbs of location emerging (here, there)
• Begins to use do, can, and will (emerging future tense)
• Uses imperatives (commands: “Go get it,”Don’t”)
• Understands -est adjective marker (biggest)
• Understands third-person pronouns (he, she)
• 20% nouns, 25% verbs
• Mean length of response is 3.4 words
• Infinitive complement (“I want to play”) emerging

Interaction & Expression

• Learning to be kind to others
• Engages in short dialogues
• Gives orders
• Enjoys the company of known adults
• Takes turns in games
• Openly expresses affection
• Likes bedtime rituals
• Learning to share
• Expresses emotion

Speech

• Uses final consonants most of the time
• Phonological processes disappearing by age 3:consonant assimilation, diminutization, doubling, final consonant deletion, prevocalic voicing, reduplication, unstressed-syllable deletion, velar fronting
• Speech is becoming more accurate but may still leave off ending sounds
• Strangers may not be able to understand much of what is said

Meaning & Concepts

• Understands 1,200 words
• Knows in from of and behind when object with
• logical front and back is used
• Identifies hard/soft and rough/smooth
• Identifies circle and square
• Responds to commands involving 2 actions
• Responds to commands involving 2 objects
• Able to match sets (42 months)
• Knows some spatial concepts, such as in, on
• Knows pronouns, such as you, me, her
• Knows descriptive words, such as big, happy
• Answers simple questions
• Uses 800 words
• Responds appropriately to simple “how” questions
• Can answer 2 or3 questions (“What do you do when you’re hungry/sleepy/cold?”)
• Beginning of question-asking stage-asks mainly “what”and ”who” questions
• Names 8-10 pictures
• States action
• Supplies last word of line (“The apple is on the.
• Counts 3 objects, pointing to each

Play & Movement

• Builds bridge from model
• Cooperative play begins
• Organizes doll furniture accurately and begins to use in genuinely imaginative ways
• When imitating drawing, draws 2 or more strokes
• Begins to share
• Reenacts experienced events, such as birthday party, baking cookies
• Uses one object to represent another (stick phone or fence)
• Stirs with a spoon

Grammar

• Begins to use is to introduce questions
• Third-person singular present tense emerging (“He runs”)
• Contracted forms of modals (won’t, can’t)
• Irregular plural forms emerging (child-children)
• Uses are with plural nouns (“Boys are running”)
• Uses and as conjunction
• Regular plural forms are consistent
• Uses is, are, am in sentences
• Begins to use more pronouns, such as you, I
• Speaks in 2-3-word phrases
• Uses question inflection to ask for something (“My ball?”)
• Begins to use plurals, such as shoes or socks and regular past tense verbs, such as jumped
• Mean length of response is 4.3 words
• Combines 4-5 words in sentences
• Uses compound sentence with and
• Essential syntax elements are evident

Interaction & Expression

• Enjoys simple songs and games with others
• Greets without prompt
• Initiates activities with parent
• Provides descriptive details for listener
• Uses attention-getting words
• Clarifies; requests clarification
• Tries to tell short stories

Speech

• Uses most speech sounds but may distort some of the more difficult sounds
• Uses consonants in the beginning, middle, and end of words (some of the more difficult consonants may be distorted)
• Strangers are able to understand much of what is said
• Becoming very intelligible in connected speech
• Continued refinement of articulatory skills taking place
• Phonological processes continuing after age 3: cluster reduction, depalatalization, epenthesis, final devoicing, gliding, stopping, vocalization
• Consonants mastered by age 4: k, g, d, t, ng, f, y
• 75-90% intelligible

Meaning & Concepts

• Describes object function
• Enjoys poems and recognizes absurdities
• Answers simple questions
• Repeats sentences
• Groups objects, such as foods, clothes, etc.
• Identifies colors
• Understands concept of “two”
• Follows a 2- or 3-part command
• Recognizes almost all common objects
• Understands most sentences
• Understands l,500-2,000 words
• Knows front and back of clothes
• Uses l,000-1,Soo words
• Can say name, age, and gender
• Can complete simple verbal analogies
• Answers “how much”and “how Iong”questions
• Tells 2 events in order of sequence
• Can tell story, mixing real and unreal
• Appropriately answers ”what if” questions
• Asks “how,”why”,”when” questions

Play & Movement

• Makes mechanical toys work
• Plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people
• Completes puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces
• Runs easily
• Pedals tricycle
• Bends over easily without falling
• Turns book pages one at a time
• Builds a tower of more than 6 blocks
• Holds a pencil in writing position
• Screws, unscrews, and turns handles
• Prefers to play in group of 2-3 children
• Suggests turns, but is often bossy in directing others
• Often silly in play and may do things wrong purposely
• Puts toys away
• Likes to dress up
• Draws a human with 2 parts
• Assumes the role of another person in play
• Cuts paper into 2 pieces

Grammar

• Uses pronouns (I, you, me, we, they) and some plurals
• Possessive marker ‘s consistent
• Regular third-person singular (-s) consistent
• Simple past tense (t, d) consistent (walk-walked)
• Present progressive is + -ing consistent
• Uses contractions consistently
• Uses negative not consistently
• Uses are, they, their inconsistently
• Reflexive pronoun myself emerging
• Uses some adverbs of time and manner
• Conjunction because emerging
• Uses got (“I got it”)
• What was…”and “What were…”questions emerging
• Mean length of response is 4.4 words
• Combines 4-5 words in sentences
• Complex sentences used frequently
• Imperatives and emphatics used consistently
• Parts of speech now stabilized

Interaction & Expression

• Engages in pretend play with 2 or more connected ideas
• Understands that emotions can be situational
• Engages in longer conversations
• Begins to role-play
• Asks for permission
• Uses simpler language when talking to younger children
• Begins to make jokes and tease
• Uses appropriate eye contact during conversation

Speech

• Should be few omissions and substitutions of consonants
• Very intelligible in connected speech
• 90% intelligible

Meaning & Concepts

• 1,500+ words
• Understands concept of the number 3 (”Give me just 3″)
• Knows between, above, below, top, bottom
• Names 1 color (54 months)
• Can recognize 2-3 primary colors (54 months)
• Answers 14 agent + action questions
• Responds appropriately, not necessarily correctly, to “how far’ questions
• Defines 4 words in terms of use
• Counts 4 objects
• Rote counts to 10
• Repeats 4 digits in 1 of3 trials
• Asks “what do/does/did”questions

Play & Movement

• Identifies parts missing in 2 pictures
• Shows off dramatically
• Copies square
• Much self-praise
• I Uses dolls and puppets to act out scripts
• Good imaginative play
• Makes cube gate from model
• Draws 3-part person
• Colors within lines
• Cuts along a line

Grammar

• If and so appear in sentences
• Irregular plurals used fairly consistently (child-children)
• Our, they, and their used consistently
• Uses could and would in sentences
• Errors of noun/verb and adjective/noun agree-ment are frequent
• Mean length of response is 4.6 words
• Combines 4-7 words in sentences
• Passive voice emerging in some children (”The dog was kicked by the boy”)

Interaction & Expression

• Makes conversational repairs if listener has not understood
• Corrects others
• Uses primitive narratives
• Can maintain conversation for3 turns
• Ends conversations appropriately
• Uses hints to influence listener
• Provides background information for listener

Speech

• Uses most consonant sounds consistently and accurately, but not in all contexts
• More errors present in difficult blends
• Speaks clearly enough for strangers to understand
• Speech is understandable but makes mistakes pronouncing long, difficult, or complex words, such as hippopotamus

Meaning & Concepts

• Begins to have a clearer sense of time
• Follows 3-part commands
• Understands same and different
• Understands behind and next to
• Understands 2,500-2,800 words
• Answers complex comprehension questions
• Points to red, yellow, green, and blue
• Learning spatial opposites (long/short, high/low)
• Classifles according to form, color, or use
• Uses l,500-2,000 words
• Correctly names some colors
• Recalls parts of a story
• Repeats 2 nonsense syllables
• Answers simple ”when” questions
• Responds to “how often,””how long”questions
• Asks and tells meaning of words
• Counts 10 objects
• Shows understanding of sequence-can name first/middle/last
• Identifies missing objects from a group of3
• Speaks in sentences of 5-6 words
• Tells stories
• Lists items that belong in a category

Play & Movement

• Copies some capital letters
• Catches bounced ball most of the time
• Copies square shapes
• Draws a person with 2-4 body parts
• Draws circles and squares
• Engages in fantasy play
• Walks upstairs and downstairs
• Hops and stands on 1 foot up to 5 seconds
• Kicks ball forward
• Moves forward and backward with agility
• Throws ball overhand
• Uses scissors
• Likes cutting out and pasting
• Definite interest in finishing what he/she starts
• Plays in groups of 2-5
• Motivated by competition
• Interested in going on trips
• Adds 7 parts to incomplete human
• Copies a triangle
• Watches life situation programs on TV
• Laces shoes

Grammar

• Understands complex questions
• Uses some irregular past tense verbs, such as ran and fell
• Possessive pronouns his and hers emerge
• Uses will to form future tense
• Fewer errors in agreement between adjective/noun
• Reflexive pronouns becoming more consistent
• Comparative (-er) emerging (bigger)
• Mean length of response is 5.7 words
• Combines 5-8 words in sentences
• Answers “why” questions

Interaction & Expression

• Describes functions of objects
• More effectively discusses emotions/feelings
• Tells a story by looking at pictures
• Can tell about cause and effect
• Stories have a sequence but no central character or theme
• Retells familiar stories
• States a problem
• Maintains conversation for 4 turns

Speech

• Intelligibility of speech is almost 100%
• Consonant mastered by age 6:1

Meaning & Concepts

• Understands 13,000 words (by age 6)
• Answers “what happens if. . questions
• Understands opposites (”The opposite of hot is…”)
• Number concepts to 10 (”Give me. . .blocks”)
• Points to penny, nickel, quarter, dime
• Points to half and whole
• Points to named numerals (1-25)
• Understands time sequences
• Follows a series of 3 directions
• Understands rhyming
• Knows label, category, function of common items
• Recalls part of a story
• Counts 12 objects correctly
• Says numbers to 30
• Repeats 4 digits correctly
• Names 5 letters of alphabet (by age 6)
• Can state similarities and differences of objects
• Describes location of movement
• Names position of objects: first, second, third
• Names days of week in order
• Correctly names at least 4 colors
• Tells longer stories
• Says name and address

Play & Movement

• Stands on 1 foot for 10 seconds or longer
• Swings, climbs
• Copies drawing of rectangle with diagonals in middle
• Copies drawing of diamond
• Draws human with neck, fingers, clothes, and
• 2-dimensional legs
• Adds 9 parts to incomplete human
• Able to play games by rules
• Builds elaborate structures with blocks
• Plans many sequences of pretend events
• May start collections of related items
• Maybe able to skip
• Hops, somersaults

Grammar

• Uses compound and complex sentences
• Uses all pronouns consistently
• Uses superlative (-est, biggest)
• Adverbial word endings emerging (slowly, faster)
• Mean length of response is 6.6 words
• Syntax nearly nomial
• Speaks sentences of more than 5 words
• Uses future tense
• I Correctly uses deictic terms, such as this, that, here, there

Interaction & Expression

• Able to distinguish fantasy from reality
• Aware of gender
• Engages in conversation
• Likes to sing, dance, and act
• Often agrees to rules
• Shows more independence
• Sometimes demanding, sometimes eagerly cooperative
• Uses imagination to create stories
• Uses indirect requests
• Better at discussing emotions and feelings
• Wants to please friends
• Tells stories with central character and logical sequence of events, but ending is unclear
• Gives praise and makes promises, threats, and insults
• Asks permission to use others’ belongings
• Recognizes another’s need for help and gives assistance 3
• Uses ”thank you,””you’re welcome,” and please” appropriately

Speech

• Consonants mastered by age 7: sh, ch, r, j,voiceless th (by age 8: voiced th, s, 2, v, zh)
• Blends mastered by age 7: dr, cl, bl, gl, tr, st, 5!,sw, sp
• May still have difflculties with clusters such as spl or tr

Meaning & Concepts

• Understands 20,000-26,000 words
• Roughly understands the difference in time intervals
• Understands seasons, what you do in each
• Prints phone number and full name
• Puts numerals 1-10 in proper order
• Forms letters left to right
• Prints alphabet and numerals from model
• Writes 1-syllable vocabulary words
• Grasps the basic idea of addition and subtraction
• States preceding and following numbers and days of week
• Aware of mistakes in others’ speech
• Knows right from left (by age 6}
• Apt to use slang and mild profanity
• Can tell address, both street and number
• Says the alphabet in order
• Identifies upper- and lowercase letters
• Matches upper- to lowercase letters
• Sight reads 10 printed words
• Counts to 100
• Names numerals 1-10
• Tells time related to a specific daily schedule

Play & Movement

• Obsessive play interests (mania for games, funny books)
• Can spend hours at 1 activity teaming to play alone
• Less ability to pretend and more need for props
• Demands more realism
• Doesn’t branch out on many novel adventures
• Better at planning actions
• Beginning of inventing and designing
• Strong return to cutting out and coloring
• Fond of table games
• Dramatizes experiences and stories
• Likes stunts (gymnastics, tumbling)
• Likes to roughhouse
• May be clumsy
• May dawdle
• Can throw and catch balls
• Can balance on 1 leg
• Likes to make things (color, paint, cook)

Grammar

• Fairly consistent use of most morphological markers
• If and so developed by most children
• Reflexive pronouns developed by most children
• Irregular comparatives used more correctly (good, better, best)
• Perfect tense have and had emerging
• Nominalization occurring: noun forms are developed from verb forms
• Continued improvement on irregular plurals
• Iteration emerging (“You have to clean clothes to make them clean”)
• Participial complements emerging
• Mean length of response is 7.3 words

Interaction & Expression

• True narratives-well~developed plot and character with sequenced events
• Provides information on request
• Delights in showing off
• Displays an increasing awareness of own and others’emotions
• Begins to develop better self~control
• Enjoys sharing toys and snacks with friends
• Predictable routines are important
• Draws emotional stability from interactions with familiar adults
• Increasing need for privacy and independence
• Learns games taught to him/her by other children
• Boys begin to play more with boys and girls with girls
• Belonging to a group is important
• Can be self-centered, bossy, stubborn, fearful, and impatient
• Feelings hurt when called names
• Ashamed of mistakes, fears, and tears
• Possessive of belongings
• Often pairs up with a “best friend”and leaves out other children
• More ready to give than to receive criticism
• Likes group activities