Toddler Milestones
As your toddler gets older, you’ll be experiencing new and exciting milestones with them! We’ve got them for you here. Let’s break down all the fun ways your child will develop in the coming years. It’s important to remember that every child reaches milestones differently, and that’s ok! Your toddler is uniquely themselves and has their own timeline for progress.
Social/Emotional Milestones
As toddlers, they develop their social and emotional milestones with their peers and caregivers. A few social/emotional accomplishments to keep an eye out for are:
they imitate social situations through dramatic play,
they begin to recognize the emotions others experience,
they can express their own feelings in big ways, sometimes leading to tantrums or bouts of intense crying.
Cognitive Milestones
Toddlers’ cognitive milestones start building a foundation for math and science concepts. Here are a few things to keep an eye on to track their cognitive development:
they sort and group objects with similarities,
they begin to count,
they explore measurement through filling and dumping,
they investigate and ask "why," (a lot)
they start to use scientific tools appropriately like binoculars, magnets, balance, and simple machines.
Language and Literacy Milestones
Your toddler’s language and literacy milestones are becoming clearer as their list of known words explodes. Keep an eye out for these ways it could manifest:
they enjoy participating in read aloud with trusted adults,
they build vocabulary as they learn the words for things they see and experience,
they start using multiple-word phrases to express themselves.
Fine Motor and Gross Motor Milestones
Their muscles continue to develop and work toward motor milestones. These are some of the ways it could present, so keep an eye out for:
they build towers of objects,
they walk up and down stairs,
they begin honing their drawing skills,
they turn book pages as they interact with the printed materials.
To discover more toddler milestones, check out the CDC’s resource for developmental milestones at various stages.
If you’re concerned about your child’s milestone achievement, Miami County Help Me Grow is a local resource available to support you.