Developmental milestones are skills or abilities that most children can do by a certain age. They provide a general idea of the changes a child goes through as they grow and develop during the first few years of life. Being aware of the key milestones for different ages can help parents and carers understand what to expect as a child develops.
The first developmental milestones tend to focus on physical abilities like sitting, crawling and walking. As a child gets older, milestones shift towards skills like understanding language, behaviour and social interaction. It’s important to remember that each child develops at their own pace. The age ranges for reaching milestones are simply a guide.
Supporting Physical Milestones
The first 12 months of a child’s life see rapid physical development. As a baby grows into a toddler, they gain mobility and independence. To help support your child’s physical milestones:
- Provide safe spaces for tummy time, crawling and pulling themselves up. Clear room on the floor and remove any hazards.
- Childproof your home. Install safety gates, cover sharp edges, put away fragile items and secure heavy furniture.
- Ensure your baby has opportunities to grasp and hold toys and objects to build up strength. Provide a mix of textures.
- Respond to babbles and coos to encourage vocal development. Model sounds and words.
- Offer toys and activities that promote coordination like large building blocks, balls, shape sorters.
- Allow your child to develop self-feeding skills. Offer finger foods they can pick up and place in their mouth.
- Encourage climbing and pulling up on sturdy furniture to build leg muscles. Stay nearby for safety.
Supporting Social and Behavioural Milestones
Between the ages of 2-3 years, children begin learning social skills and self-regulation. These milestones lay the foundations for future development. You can provide support by:
- Role modelling positive behaviours and manners. Narrate your actions.
- Reading stories involving emotions and relationships. Talk about the feelings of characters.
- Giving choices to encourage decision making. Start with two options, then build up to more complex choices.
- Allowing safe exploration and independence. Let your toddler feed themselves and dress themselves.
- Providing guidance and structure through daily routines like mealtimes and bedtimes.
- Giving praise and encouragement for efforts, kindness and sharing. Use descriptive praise.
- Singing songs and reciting rhymes together to build language.
- Playing alongside your child to model interaction with toys. Describe your actions.
Seek Support for Concerns
It’s normal to occasionally have worries about your child’s development. However, if you have ongoing concerns or feel your child is significantly delayed in one or more milestones, don’t hesitate to see your GP. Consider whether you should change fostering agencies if yours is dismissive of any concerns you have when fostering younger children.
Early intervention can make all the difference in supporting a child’s developmental needs. Your doctor can complete an assessment and refer your child to a specialist like a health visitor, speech and language therapist or paediatrician if required. Together, you can explore what extra support may be helpful to get your child back on track with their key milestones.
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