Children Developmental Milestones

What are Children Developmental Milestones?

Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye” are called children developmental milestones.

Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (for example, crawling and walking).

Children develop at their own pace, so it’s impossible to tell exactly when a child will learn a given skill. However, the developmental milestones give a general idea of the changes to expect as a child gets older.

As a parent, you know your child best. If your child is not meeting the milestones for his or her age, or if you think there could be a problem with your child’s development, talk with your child’s doctor and share your concerns. Don’t wait.

Children developmental milestones achievement doesn’t have to get complicated. Especially during early months, setting aside some time each day to get down on the floor to play and read with your little one can make a huge impact.

At Moms Arena, we invest all of our efforts on high quality research for toys, activities and accessories that will help your child to maximize its potential in the growth and development process.

Well know toys and accessories for this purpose are baby walking products, baby university, cards, rattle teether and many more.

Babies Developmental Milestones List

Newborn

Make jerky, quivering arm movements
Bring hands near face
Keep hands in tight fists
Move head from side to side while lying on stomach
Focus on objects 8 to 12 inches away
Prefer human faces over other shapes
Prefer black-and-white or high-contrast patterns
Hear very well
Recognize some sounds, including parents’ voices

1-3 Months

Raise head and chest when lying on stomach
Support upper body with arms when lying on stomach
Stretch legs out and kick when lying on stomach or back
Push down on legs when feet are placed on a firm surface
Open and shut hands
Bring hands to mouth
Grab and shake hand toys
Follow moving object with eyes
Watch faces closely
Recognize familiar objects and people at a distance
Start using hands and eyes in coordination
Begin to babble and to imitate some sounds
Smile at the sound of parents’ voices
Enjoy playing with other people
May cry when playing stops

3-6 Months

Roll over both ways (stomach to back and back to stomach)
Sit up
Reach for object with hand
Transfer objects from one hand to the other
Support whole weight on legs when held upright
Develop full-color vision and mature distance vision
Use voice to express joy and displeasure
Respond to own name
Babble chains of consonants (ba-ba-ba-ba)
Distinguish emotions by tone of voice
Explore objects with hands and mouth
Struggle to get objects that are out of reach
Enjoy playing peek-a-boo
Show an interest in mirror images

6-12 Months

Sit without assistance
Get into hands-and-knees position
Crawl
Pull self up to stand
Walk holding onto furniture, and possibly a few steps without support
Use pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger)
Say “dada” and “mama”
Use exclamations, such as “oh-oh!”
Try to imitate words
Respond to “no” and simple verbal requests
Use simple gestures, such as shaking head “no” and waving bye-bye
Explore objects in many ways (shaking, banging, throwing, dropping)
Begin to use objects correctly (drinking from cup, brushing hair)
Find hidden objects easily
Look at correct picture when an image is named

12-24 Months

Walk alone
Pull toys behind them while walking
Carry large toy or several toys while walking
Begin to run
Kick a ball
Climb on and off furniture without help
Walk up and down stairs while holding on to support
Scribble with crayon
Build tower of four blocks or more
Recognize names of familiar people, objects and body parts
Say several single words (by 15 to 18 months)
Use simple phrases (by 18 to 24 months)
Use two- to four-word sentences (“want snack”)
Follow simple instructions
Begin to sort objects by shapes and colors
Begin to play make-believe
Imitate behavior of others
Show growing independence

24-36 Months

Calms down within 10 minutes after you leave her, like at a childcare drop off
Notices other children and joins them to play
Talks with you in conversation using at least two back-and-forth exchanges
Asks “who,” “what,” “where,” or “why” questions, like “Where is mommy/daddy?”
Says what action is happening in a picture or book when asked, like “running,” “eating,” or “playing”
Says first name, when asked
Talks well enough for others to understand, most of the time
Draws a circle, when you show him how
Avoids touching hot objects, like a stove, when you warn her

How Toys Can Support Children Development

The introduction of toys during play sessions offers a great learning opportunity for your child.

Just as building blocks can be toys, toys can also be building blocks to development. Much more than just a means to entertainment, playing assists with an infant’s cognitive, physical, emotional, and social development.

For example, shape sorting toys can build a child’s pattern recognition and cognitive skills, while the dangling accessories of infant gyms will help babies become aware of their environment and encourage their body movement as they reach for toys. Newborn babies, on the other hand, are developing their palmar grasp reflex — think of all the times your baby’s small hands have reached out to grab a strand of your hair or your pinky finger.

There’s no question — toys are important for children of all ages. But how do you choose the right toys for your child? That’s a question worth exploring.

How to Choose Developmental Toys

0-6 Months

When choosing toys for your new baby, stick with safe, simple objects that encourage exploration and open-ended play. Things like rattles and other grabbing toys, balls, activity gyms and board books are great for encouraging children developmental milestones during your baby’s first six months.

Recommended toys for newborns:

Things they can reach for, hold, suck on, shake, make noise with—rattles, large rings, squeeze toys, teething toys, soft dolls, textured balls, and vinyl and board books
Listen—books with nursery rhymes and poems, and recordings of lullabies and simple songs
Look—pictures of faces hung so baby can see them and unbreakable mirrors

6-12 Months

Older babies are movers—typically they go from rolling over and sitting, to scooting, bouncing, creeping, pulling themselves up, and standing. They understand their own names and other common words, can identify body parts, find hidden objects, and put things in and out of containers.

Recommended toys for 6-12 months infants:

Play pretend with—baby dolls, puppets, plastic and wood vehicles with wheels, and water toys
Things to drop and take out—plastic bowls, large beads, balls, and nesting toys
Construction and build—large soft blocks and wooden cubes
Things to use their large muscles with—large balls, push and pull toys, and low, soft things to crawl over

12-24 Months

Buying toys for toddlers this age can be tough for parents, because all the new abilities can take you by surprise. One day your baby’s stationary and content to wonder over a rattle, the next they’re on the move, in quick order walking, talking, and becoming a person with opinions. So picking the “best” toys for children age 12 months and up is something of a chancy task, since even the most entertaining and educational toy is a flop if your child doesn’t take to it.

Nonetheless, there are certain toys that generations of children love, as well as those that become instant classics, simply because so many kids like playing with them.

Recommended toys for 12-24 months toddlers:

Board books with simple illustrations or photographs of real objects
Recordings with songs, rhymes, simple stories, and pictures
Create—wide non-toxic, washable markers, crayons, and large paper
Toys to pretend with—toy phones, dolls and doll beds, baby carriages and strollers, dress-up accessories (scarves, purses), puppets, stuffed toys, plastic animals, and plastic and wood “realistic” vehicles
Build—cardboard and wood blocks (can be smaller than those used by infants—2 to 4 inches)
Things for using their large and small muscles—puzzles, large pegboards, toys with parts that do things (dials, switches, knobs, lids), and large and small balls

24-36 Months

Toddlers are rapidly learning language and have some sense of danger. Nevertheless they do a lot of physical “testing”: jumping from heights, climbing, hanging by their arms, rolling, and rough-and-tumble play. They have good control of their hands and fingers and like to do things with small objects.

Solving problems—wood puzzles (with 4 to 12 pieces), blocks that snap together, objects to sort (by size, shape, color, smell), and things with hooks, buttons, buckles, and snaps
Pretending and building—blocks, smaller (and sturdy) transportation toys, construction sets, child-sized furniture (kitchen sets, chairs, play food), dress-up clothes, dolls with accessories, puppets, and sand and water play toys
Create with—large non-toxic, washable crayons and markers, large paintbrushes and fingerpaint, large paper for drawing and painting, colored construction paper, toddler-sized scissors with blunt tips, chalkboard and large chalk, and rhythm instruments
Picture books with more details than books for younger children
Using large and small muscles—large and small balls for kicking and throwing, ride-on equipment (but probably not tricycles until children are 3), tunnels, low climbers with soft material underneath, and pounding and hammering toys

Preschool

Preschoolers and kindergartners have longer attention spans than toddlers. Typically they talk a lot and ask a lot of questions. They like to experiment with things and with their still-emerging physical skills. They like to play with friends—and don’t like to lose! They can take turns—and sharing one toy by two or more children is often possible for older preschoolers and kindergarteners.

Solving problems—puzzles (with 12 to 20+ pieces), blocks that snap together, collections and other smaller objects to sort by length, width, height, shape, color, smell, quantity, and other features—collections of plastic bottle caps, plastic bowls and lids, keys, shells, counting bears, small colored blocks
Pretending and building—many blocks for building complex structures, transportation toys, construction sets, child-sized furniture (“apartment” sets, play food), dress-up clothes, dolls with accessories, puppets and simple puppet theaters, and sand and water play toys
Create with—large and small crayons and markers, large and small paintbrushes and fingerpaint, large and small paper for drawing and painting, colored construction paper, preschooler-sized scissors, chalkboard and large and small chalk, modeling clay and playdough, modeling tools, paste, paper and cloth scraps for collage, and instruments—rhythm instruments and keyboards, xylophones, maracas, and tambourines
Picture books with even more words and more detailed pictures than toddler books
Play variety of music
Things for using their large and small muscles—large and small balls for kicking and throwing/catching, ride-on equipment including tricycles, tunnels, taller climbers with soft material underneath, wagons and wheelbarrows, plastic bats and balls, plastic bowling pins, targets and things to throw at them, and a workbench with a vise, hammer, nails, and saw
If a child has access to a computer: programs that are interactive (the child can do something) and that children can understand (the software uses graphics and spoken instruction, not just print), children can control the software’s pace and path, and children have opportunities to explore a variety of concepts on several levels

How STEM toys can support developmental process

You may have heard of STEM before in discussions surrounding academics, but perhaps you’re still wondering exactly what are STEM toys. The acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, all areas of knowledge which are important to personal and professional development. In school, teachers focus on building strength in these disciplines, and you can support this learning with specialized toys.

STEM toys come in all shapes and sizes and work to introduce these concepts to children of various ages. When you give children STEM toys, you give them a chance to further their thinking and learning skills. These skills can be vital to future jobs or school concepts and may spark a love of science, math, technology, or engineering. It doesn’t matter how old or experienced your kid is as there are toys and kits for different ages and stages of development. With these useful tips and STEM gift ideas, you can determine which STEM toys are best for your child at each point along their learning journey.

To learn more about STEM and STEAM toys, visit the link below: