Developmental milestones are skills most children can do by a certain age. There are important milestones children achieve at each stage of life. Each child is an individual, so it is important to remember that a milestone checklist is only a guide for growth and development. Some children may achieve skills a little earlier and some children may achieve skills a little bit later; however, certain skills tend to develop within predictable age ranges. Knowing what to look for is key to knowing how a child is developing. Developmental milestones can help caregivers become aware of what skills are expected at what ages and acknowledge what the child is accomplishing–a first smile, a first step, a first word.
Through CLI Engage, access the developmental milestones checklists as downloadable resources, or login to use the online tracking tool to document children’s growth over time and pull reports.
Navigating Concerns about Children’s Development: A roadmap for early childhood professionals
Children are rapidly developing in early childhood, especially the first three years. Early care providers and teachers have a unique opportunity to partner with families in keeping children on a healthy path to development—especially when a child may be experiencing developmental delays. This roadmap is designed to help providers act upon developmental concerns they observe in children in their care.
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Navigating Concerns about Your Child’s Development: A roadmap for families
Helpful Hints to Using Milestone Checklists:
Child care providers and teachers work with many children, so watching children closely and recognizing certain skills will come naturally. Most milestones can be observed while the child is playing in a variety of activities and following daily routines throughout the day. If milestones do not occur naturally while observing the child, caregivers can engage the child with social interaction, toys, and demonstrations to try to elicit or bring out certain skills. Infants and toddlers may be most comfortable moving around and playing on the floor, while preschoolers may sometimes play at a table. Mark a check or date by a skill on the milestone checklist when the child is observed performing that skill. If the skill is not observed or the child needs assistance to complete the skill, do not check the skill on the milestone checklist; this means the child is still learning this skill. While some milestones (like language) can be observed anytime during the day, other milestones will most likely be observed during targeted times of the day. For example, motor skills will be easy to observe during movement activities, dancing, and in the yard/playground. Look for self-help skills during arrival, dismissal, toileting, and mealtimes. Social-emotional skills can be observed while children play or during centers.
