• Begin to establish a hand preference
• Grasping a cup with one hand without spilling
• Grasping spoon and turning hand to bring to mouth
• Turning pages 1 at a time
• Building an 8 block tower
• Folding paper in half
• Cutting on line
• Turning door knobs and jar lids

• Beginning to brush teeth – adult needs to put toothpaste on and still do thorough brushing
• Undressing self – may still need help with fasteners and pullovers with narrow necks

• Vocabulary grows from 100 words 400+ words
• Using 2-3 word phrases
• Speech is 50-75% understandable
• Making the following sounds: “b”, “m”, “p”, “d”, “t”, “h”
• Using pronouns (my, me, mine, you) in phrases

• Uses tongue to clean lips
• Can bite through a hard cookie with ease
• Does not spill liquid from an open cup when drinking
• Can easily move the tongue tip to place and collect food for chewing and swallowing
• Mature swallowing pattern is established (i.e., the tip of the tongue touches the area behind the top front teeth to initiate the swallow)
• Biting and chewing foods of various thickness
• Beginning to use a fork
• A highchair is no longer needed

• Biting and chewing foods of various thickness
• Moving from drinking from a bottle to drinking from an open cup without spilling
• Beginning to use a fork
• A highchair is no longer needed

• Can start following 2-step directions
• Understanding and answering “where” and “what” questions
• Organizing toys by size, shape, and color

• Pretend play and sharing toys with other children and adults
• Following adult-directed tasks
• Consistently greeting familiar and unfamiliar people

Many behaviors (both positive and negative) are learned by watching others

• Bubbles
• Balls
• Simple puzzles
• Blocks
• Play-Doh
• Sidewalk chalk
• Stickers
• Toy cars or trains
• Tricycle

• Completing simple 3-piece puzzle
• Matching identical pictures
• Copying drawing circles
• Pouring liquid from one container directly into another
• Holding a fork with a fist
• Building a 9-block tower
• Making continuous cuts with child-safe scissors

• Beginning to brush teeth – adult needs to put toothpaste on and still do thorough brushing
• Dressing self with minimal help
• Putting shoes on with little assistance
• Potty training is almost complete

• Vocabulary growing from 100 words to 1,000 words
• Producing full sentences during conversation
• Speech is 75% understandable
• Making the “k” and “g” sounds
• Asking what, where, when, whose questions 

• Chewing and swallowing “adult food” with lips closed (e.g. steak, raw vegetables, nuts, etc)
• Moving from drinking from an open cup without spilling
• Using a fork and spoon will become an independent task
• A highchair is no longer needed

• 11-14 hours of sleep per day with one 2-hour nap during the day time
• Beginning to transition from crib to toddler bed
• Cuddling helps calm child down 
• A weighted blanket may help calm child down
• Tolerating new clothing fabrics 
• Tolerating a variety of smells and noises

• Understanding and answering “where” and “what” questions will become consistent
• Consistently following 3-step directions
• Understanding time concepts like soon, later, wait
• Matching and sorting similar objects and pictures

• Pretend play and sharing toys with other children and adults
• Playing by rules of simple games
• Consistently greeting familiar and unfamiliar people

• Farm animals
• Potato Head
• Balls
• Puzzles
• Tricycle
• Play-Doh
• Play Kitchen
• Dolls
• Books
• 3-wheeled scooter

• Not jumping in place
• Walking on their toes or falling a lot
• Not walking up and down stairs with a handrail
• Shaky, stiff, or weak movements
• Difficulty holding a fork and cup
• Difficulty chewing threw meat and vegetables
• Difficulty tolerating different textures in clothing, foods, and toys
• Talking in phrases that are less than 3 words long
• Having a small vocabulary
• Not producing “m”, “b”, “p”, “d”, “h”, “k”, and/or “g”
• Limited eye contact with other people

It is important for your child to develop the following skills prior to beginning preschool:

• Following multistep directions consistently
• Dealing with and managing emotions related to change
• Completely potty trained
• Following adult-directed tasks without much protest
• Completing independent tasks like eating lunch, washing hands, etc.
• Avoiding obstacles when walking
• Interacting with other children and adults well