Childhood Milestones Year Two
Are you wondering what milestones your child should be meeting for speech, motor skills, and social interaction? Take a look at this list of milestones and see if your child needs speech, occupational, or feeding therapy.
12 Months
Gross Motor Skills
- Independent standing
- Moves along furniture independently and quickly
- Walks pushing a toy with wheels
- Begins to take first steps between 12-15 months
- Throws a ball
- Transitions to standing without support
Try to limit time spent in “containers” such as car seats, strollers, jumpers, or infant swings. These devices restrict a baby’s ability to move freely—kick, turn their head, wiggle, or explore their surroundings—which is crucial for developing the strength needed to roll over, sit up, crawl, and eventually walk!
Fine Motor Skills/Visual Motor Skills
- Can turn carboard book page
- Can place objects in a container
- Can grasp thick crayon or pencil in fist, but may not mark on paper
- Pays attention to where you are looking and pointing
Speech and Communication Skills
- Says about 3 words
- Babbles using different sounds
- Takes turns vocalizing
- Points or uses gestures
- At this age, a child understands far more words than they can actually say. So, be sure to name everything in their environment and read plenty of books together.
Self-Care
- Your baby relies on you for all of their needs. Enjoy these times together, you can never love on your little one too much!
- Brings bottle to mouth by self
- Helps to pull off simple clothing
- Pulls socks and shoes off
Oral Motor Skills and Feeding
- Feeding self with fingers
- Lips may close during swallowing
- Can easily bite through soft cookie with front teeth
- Eats chopped table food and very soft meats (e.g., stewed chicken, ground meat)
- Child is ready for weaning from the bottle (only given before bed). They mostly drink from an open cup, a cup with a recessed lid, and a straw. Some breastfeeding may continue.
- Holds open cup and drinks with some spillage. If cup has handles, holds handles when drinking
Sensory and Sleeping
- Enjoys listening to songs
- Explores toys with hands, fingers, and mouth
- Should start sleeping 8-12 hours through the night and have a reliable sleep schedule
- Sleeps 12-16 hours for every 24 hours (including naps)
Social/Play
- Starts to point at things they want
- Likes to explore when set down
- Maintains eye contact with you
- Will turn head in response to hearing name
Best Toys and This Age
- Small blocks
- Cardboard books
- Toys that light up or make sounds
- Cause and effect toys
- Shape sorters
- Stacking toys
- Musical instruments
- Toys that move when pushed so the child can go after the toy
- Large balls
14 Months
Gross Motor Skills
- Creeps upstairs on hands and knees
- Walks 10 feet with good balance and heel-toe pattern
If you child is always leading with one leg when going up the stairs. Try to encourage the use of both legs leading.
Fine Motor Skills & Self-Care
- Makes a stack of blocks
- Points at objects with index finger, keeping other fingers toward palm
- Rolls a ball to you
Communication Skills & Social Interaction
- Plays alone or alongside others
- Hands things to others
- Show what they want by pointing
Self-Care
- Your baby relies on you for all of their needs. Enjoy these times together, you can never love on your little one too much!
- Brings bottle to mouth by self
- Helps to pull off simple clothing
- Pulls socks and shoes off
Oral Motor Skills and Feeding
- Continues trying new mashed foods
- Might attempt to eat soft meats
- Lips may close during swallowing
- Can easily bite through soft cookie with front teeth
- Eats chopped table food and very soft meats (e.g., stewed chicken, ground meat)
- Child is ready for weaning from the bottle (only given before bed). They mostly drink from an open cup, a cup with a recessed lid, and a straw. Some breastfeeding may continue.
- Holds open cup and drinks with some spillage. If cup has handles, holds handles when drinking
Social & Emotional
- Prefers people who are familiar, strangers may cause distress
- Can entertain self for few minutes at a time
- Shows a wider range of emotions
Best Toys at This Age
- Textured sensory balls
- Books
15 Months
Gross Motor Skills
- Moves downstairs independently
- Walks upstairs using hands or rails – non alternating
- Lifts foot to make contact with a ball
- Throws ball overhand without losing balance
Fine Motor Skills & Self-Care
- Marks on paper with crayon or pencil without help
- Puts things in and out of containers
- Places round object in round opening
- Removes socks with some help
Communication Skills & Social Interaction
- Plays alone or alongside others
- Identifies one body part
- Waves goodbye
- Uses “mama” and “dada”
Oral Motor Skills and Feeding
- Scoops food with spoon, but may spill some when bringing to the mouth
- Lips may close during swallowing
- Can easily bite through soft cookie with front teeth
- Eats chopped table food and very soft meats (e.g., stewed chicken, ground meat)
- Child is ready for weaning from the bottle (only given before bed). They mostly drink from an open cup, a cup with a recessed lid, and a straw. Some breastfeeding may continue.
- Holds open cup and drinks with some spillage. If cup has handles, holds handles when drinking
Social & Emotional
- Will enjoy reactions from others
- Improved sharing skills for sharing with adults vs. children
- Remembers social routines like saying “hi” and “bye”
Best Toys at This Age
- Large playground balls
- Shape sorters
- Musical instruments
16 to 18 Months
Gross Motor Skills
- Walks fast
- Walks backward 5 steps
- Walks downstairs with support of one finger- non alternating
Helpful Hint:If your child is still struggling with balance while walking, it might be a good idea to consult with your therapist about potential orthotic options for added support to the foot and ankle.
Fine Motor Skills & Self- Care
- Turns a small knob
- Puts large round pegs into pegboard
- Helps dress and undress self
- Copies housework or activities you do
- Removes socks without help
Communication Skills & Social Interaction
- Adds new simple words to vocabulary
- Imitates animal sounds
- Vocalizes for fun
- Develops a sense of humor
- May refuse to share toys and use “mine!”
- Identifies 3 body parts
Sensory Play
- Enjoys ‘messy’ activities
Oral Motor Skills & Feeding
- Scoops food with spoon, but may spill some when bringing to the mouth
- Eats chopped foods, including many meats and raw vegetables
- Can chew with lips closed
- Coughing or choking is rarely seen
- Drink from a cup and sets it down without much spillage
- Bites food well
- May refuse some foods
- Less saliva loss than when younger
Social & Emotional
- Enjoys simple imitation games like rolling ball back and forth
- Will repeat things that invoke laughter
- Limited patience
- Enjoys helping complete simple tasks
- Interested in give and take games
- May struggle to share toys with other children
Best Toys at This Age
- Blocks
- Simple puzzle with large pegs & background outline
- Stacking toys like donuts on a peg
- Walking toys like grocery cart, lawn mower, vacuum
19 to 20 Months
Gross Motor Skills
- Runs forward 10 feet
- Stands tandem (one foot in front of the other with heel and toe touching) on a line for 2 seconds
- Kicks ball 3 feet without direction
- Throws a ball overhand 3 feet
- Rides a push bike
Fine Motor Skills & Self-Care
- Starts using a spoon
- Drinks from a cup independently
- Turns one or more regular book pages without help
- Stacks a 4-block tower
- Zips and unzips easy zippers
- Sits on a toilet with assistance
- Still needs help to brush teeth
Communication Skills & Social Interaction
- Identifies 3-4 body parts
- Uses 10 words
- Imitates sounds and noises more clearly
- Starts to communicate needs with words
Oral Motor Skills & Feeding
- Drinks from a cup without any help
- Improves chewing patterns and jaw movements in eating
- Scoops food with spoon, but may spill some when bringing to the mouth
- Eats chopped foods, including many meats and raw vegetables
- Can chew with lips closed
- Coughing or choking is rarely seen
Social & Emotional
- Seeks to be more independent and wants to try things on their own
- Likes being taught to help with simple daily activities
- May imitate some social behaviors
- Shows accomplishment after completing a task
Best Toys at This Age
- Push bike or ride on toys
- Books