Ages and Stages of Child Development

Ages & Stages of a Typical Child's Development

The following information describes characteristics of a child's typical development. Keep in mind each child is unique and develops at his/her own pace. If you have questions or concerns about your child's developmental progress, please contact our Research and Referral Counselor at (205) 795-2208 or contact your child's primary care physician.

Ages Quick-Jump: Infant • 1 Year-Old • 2 Year-Old • 3 Year-Old • 4 Year-Old • 5 Year-Old

Characteristics of an Infant
• Demonstrates Palmer (finger/thumb) grasp
• Lifts head and chest 45 degrees
• Attempts to roll from side to stomach
• Picks up objects while sitting
• Follows a slowly moving object
• Responds to brightly colored pictures and objects
• Plays peek-a-boo
• Searches for partially hidden objects
• Puts toys in mouth
• Explores the environment through all five senses
• Babbles and begins to name one-word objects
• Expresses needs by crying
• Needs to form strong bonds with parents and caregivers
• Begins to be aware of self as a person apart from other people

Characteristics of a 1 Year-Old Child
• Identifies own image in mirror
• Sorts objects by either color or size
• Knows sequence of daily routine
• Turns pages of picture books
• Begins to help undressing and dressing
• Walks up and down stairs while alternating feet
• Indicates wants non-verbally
• Begins to use utensils
• Drinks from cup using two hands
• Begins to develop his/her self-esteem
• Demonstrates interest in cause and effect with behavior

Characteristics of a 2 Year-Old Child
• Understands concept of under, over, in, on
• Pretends
• Has a short attention span
• Rolls and catches a ball
• Pedals a tricycle
• Verbalizes wants
• Forms simple sentences (2-3 word sentences)
• Strings large beads
• Works 5- to 6-piece puzzles
• Begins using potty and can dry hands after washing
• Pours from a pitcher
• Shows pride in accomplishments
• Plays alongside other children
• Shows independence from adults

Characteristics of a 3 Year-Old Child
• Understands the concept of same and different objects
• Demonstrates hand preference
• Can put liquid from a small pitcher into a cup
• Can brush own teeth with some help
• Can throw a ball overhead
• Can kick a ball forward
• Rides a tricycle
• Uses 85% speech intelligibility
• Tells a simple story
• Recites nursery rhymes and sings songs
• Takes turns and shares with encouragement
• Finds humor in events, sights and sounds
• Likes to “help” in small ways

Characteristics of a 4 Year-Old Child
• Classifies objects into categories (food, toys, etc.)
• Predicts the outcome of a story/event
• Can put a small peg in a pegboard
• Has 100% speech intelligibility
• Will play with words to make rhymes, poems, etc.
• Can catch a ball that has been thrown
• Can pump legs while swinging
• Plays cooperatively with peers for extended periods of time
• Represents more realistic situations in pretend play
• Begins playing group games with simple rules
• Has an extended attention span
• Begins cooperative play

Characteristics of a 5 Year-Old Child
• Seeks answers to questions through active investigation
• Expresses wonder and seeks information about the natural world
• Forms explanations based on observations and explorations
• Can skip, gallop, jump, walk and run in rhythm to simple tunes and music patterns
• Follows classroom rules and routines
• Knows how and where to place toys during clean-up time
• Creates imaginary characters
• Manages transitions and adapt to changes in daily routines
• Asks questions in sentence form rather than with a few words
• Makes up new words and tells jokes
• Predicts what will happen to characters in a story