| 0 – 3 Months |
3 – 6 Months |
6 – 9 Months |
9 – 12 Months |
| 0 – 3 Months |
- Long spells of staring vacantly at large masses (windows, walls)
- Hands predominately closed. No reaching to grasp objects
- If hand is touched, either clenches or opens
- Reacts to paper or cloth on face
- Raises head when prone
- Will grasp object when placed in hand
- Reaches for object but misses (3 months)
|
3 – 6 Months |
- Raises head and chest when prone
- Puts objects in mouth
- Watches hands
- Plays actively when propped in play area 10-15 minutes
- Looks intently at and shakes rattle
- On visual cue, free hand comes towards but doesn’t grasp rattle.
- Pays attention to cube on table
- May detect a tiny pellet
- Generally inspects surroundings
- Smiles, fingers mirror image
- Increases activity at sight of toy
- Words for toy out of reach
- Exploitative in string play
- Head control established in midline
- Bangs with object held in hand
- Transfers object form one hand to another
- Rolls over – both ways
|
6 – 9 Months |
- Grasps dangling objects
- Explores toy with fingers and mouth
- Hitching present
- Will bounce when supported in standing position
- Sits without support
- Uses pincer grasp to pick up small object
- Drinks form cup
- Eyes and hands function in close interaction
- Imitates arm movements
- Bangs spoon on table
- Pull self to standing position
- Craws – on belly
|
9 – 12 Months |
- Squeezes doll to make it squeak
- Regards and pokes clapper of bell (beginning cause/effect)
- Deliberately drops toys and watches them fall
- Plays ball with another person
- Still brings objects to mouth – uses tongue more
- Puts objects in and takes them out of large container (beginning awareness of in/out)
- Places one block after another on table (prerequisite to counting)
- Responds to music
- Holds crayon – imitates scribble
- Takes a few steps with help
- Can bring one object momentarily above another (emerging awareness of spatial concept – precedes block stacking)
- Stack rings on pegs
- Throw objects intentionally
|
| 1 – 1½ Years |
1 ½ – 2 Years |
2- 2 ½ Years |
2½- 3 Years |
| 1 – 1½ Years |
- Solitary or onlooker play – self play
- Continual walking activities
- Begins running- still and awkward
- Scribbles spontaneous with crayons
- Can remove mittens, socks, hat, unzips zipper
- Puts objects in and out of container
- Can figure out ways of overcoming some obstacles (opening doors, reaching high places)
- Imitates many things (sweeping, combing hair – self use)
- Pulls toys, carries or hugs dolls, teddy bear
- Very rapid shifts in attention – especially expressed by gross motor skills
|
1 ½ – 2 Years |
- Parallel play – plays near others but not with them
- Talks to self as he/she plays
- Little social give and take – little interest in what others say or do but hugs, pushes, pulls, snatches, grabs, defends rights by pulling hair and kicking
- Does not ask for help
- Procrastinates
- Strings beads
- Transports blocks in a wagon rather than just building
- Relates action to object or another person – washes, feeds, combs doll in addition to self
- Likes to play with flexible materials such as clay, pat, pinches, and fingers
- Less rapid shifts in attention
|
2- 2 ½ Years |
- Parallel play predominates
- Arranges doll furniture into meaningful groups and uses doll figures to act out simple themes from own experience
- Aligns three or more cubes to make train; pushes train
- Builds tower of six to seven blocks
- Imitates drawing of vertical line
- Sequences related action in play such as preparing food for doll, feeding it, wiping its mouth
|
2½- 3 Years |
- 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 play things
- Is willing to wait his/her turn
- Will put toys away with some supervision
- Watches cartoons on TV
- Names own drawing
- Builds tower of nine blocks
- Puts together four-part nesting toy
- Stacks five or more rings on a peg in order of size
- Draws horizontal line in imitation
- Imitates drawing a circle
|
| 3- 3 ½ Years |
3 ½ – 4 Years |
4- 4 ½ Years |
4½- 5 Years |
| 3- 3 ½ Years |
- Builds bridge from model
- Cooperative play begins
- Organizes doll furniture accurately and begins to use in genuinely imaginative ways
- Draws two or more strokes for a cross-on imitation
- Beginning to share
- Reenacts experienced events such as birthday party, baking cookies
- Uses one object to represent another (stick = phone or fence)
|
3 ½ – 4 Years |
- Increase in dramatization of play
- Complicated ideas but unable to carry out in detail; no carryover from day to day
- Prefers to play in group of two to three children; chooses companion of own sex
- Suggests turns, but often bossy in directing others
- Often silly in play and may do things wrong purposely
- Puts toys aware
- Likes to dress up
- Draws a human with two parts. Adds three parts to incomplete human
- Builds structures/buildings with blocks
- Assumes the role of another person in play (becomes a teacher, animal, parent)
|
4- 4 ½ Years |
- Make cube gate from model
- Identifies parts missing in two pictures
- Shows off dramatically
- Copies square
- Much self-praise
- Uses dolls and puppets to act out scripts
- Good imaginative play
|
4½- 5 Years |
- Likes cutting out and pasting
- Likes working on projects – may carry over from day to day
- Definite interest in finishing what he/she starts
- Plays in groups of two to five – friendships becoming stronger
- Spurred on by rivalry in activity – competition
- Interested in going on excursions
- Draws unmistakable human with body, arms, legs, feet, nose and eyes
- Adds seven parts to incomplete human
- Copies a triangle
- Watches life situation programs on TV – gains information from verbal contents (60 months)
|
| 5- 6 Years |
6 – 7 Years |
| 5- 6 Years |
- Copies drawing of rectangle with diagonals in middle
- Copies drawing of diamond
- Draws human with heck, fingers, clothes, and two dimensional legs
- Adds nine parts to incomplete human
- May start collections
- Able to play games by rules
- Builds elaborate things with blocks
- Plans many sequences of pretend event – uses props and language to develop a theme (going on a trip into outer space)
|
6- 7 Years |
- Obsessive play interests – mania for games, funny books
- Can s0pend hours at one activity
- Plays alone better than at 6 years
- Groups play similar to 6 year old’s with less ability to pretend and more to provide necessary paraphernalia
- 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
- Predominant dramatization of experiences and stories
- Likes stunts: gymnastics, tumbling
|
