Infancy | Toddlers | Preschoolers

• Growth slows but is steady
• Walks up and down stairs using alternating feet
• Can hop on one foot
• Jumps in place with ease
• Throws ball overhand
• Holds crayon with thumb and fore fingers, not a fist as when younger
• Enjoys building with blocks, turning pages of a book one at a time, and playing with play dough

• Grows about 2 inches per year
• Can walk on a straight line
• Petals and steers a tricycle with ease
• Climbs trees, ladder, & play equipment easily
• Reproduces letters and shapes
• Threads small beads onto string
• Jumps over objects and lands on both feet
• Enjoys running, painting and drawing

• Attention span is increasing
• Listens with interest to age appropriate stories - likes books
• Interested in realistic play (feeding the cat, raking the leaves, etc.)
• Draws shapes and puts them together to form trees, people, objects
• Sorts objects according to color, shape, or use
• Can name and match primary colors
• May know numbers up to four
• Can identify "more": cars, or dogs
• Has some understanding of time (today, two days, nap time)

• Can stack blocks from largest to smallest
• Interested in letters and naming them
• May recognize a few printed words
• Interested in books
• May count sets of objects up to 7
• May rote count up to 20
• Understands the words tallest, biggest, same, and more
• Attention span continues to increase
• Interested in how things grow and how things work
• Matches a set of objects to a numeral (3 coins to the numeral 3)

• Talks about the actions of others, even when they are not present ("Daddy is moving the grass.")
• Can answer simple questions correctly
• Asks for specific objects or help
• Remembers and tells favorite stories
• Vocabulary is increasing and is about 80% understandable
• May know 300 to 1000 words
• Uses more nouns, adjectives, and verbs in speaking
• Joins in social conversation (Please! Hi! Bye! Thank you!)
• Enjoys talking with others

• Understands and uses prepositions like "on", "in," and "under"
• Speech is about 95% understandable
• Can recite and sing simple songs or rhymes
• Changes tone of voice when talking with others - To baby, "Milk gone?" To mother: "Did Toby drink all of his milk?"
• Begins to use past tense verbs (Mommy closed the car door)
• Gives first name, last name, sex, siblings name, or telephone number when asked
• Can talk on and on and on

• Beginning to understand taking turns, but may not always want to
• Talks to self, toy or pet
• May have nightmares or fears
• Enjoys simple games or small group activities
• Friendly, laughs often
• Attention span increasing: may sit for up to 10 minutes at an activity
• May observe others children playing, join in, or just play beside them
• Likes to be near other people
• May still have a security blanket for comfort
• Shows affection toward others

• Friendly and outgoing
• Moods can change quickly
• May still tantrum over minor frustrations
• Cooperates with others
• Participates in group activities
• Tattles on other children
• Enjoys make believe activities
• Establishes friendships with other children
• Uses verbal rather than physical aggression against others
• May not always take turns easily or share quickly
• Exaggerates about what may have happened