10.4: Cognitive Milestones, 2-36 months

Milestones of Cognitive Development

Infants and toddlers are constantly learning about the world as they experience it and actively engage with it during the first three years of life. Milestones represent what most children can do by specific ages; however, it is important to remember that children do not achieve these milestones at the same exact ages--milestones only represent the average age at when they are achieved. If a child has not achieved specific milestones by a specific age, it does not necessarily suggest a delay or disability; however, there are specific ages where if certain milestones are not achieved, caregivers should encourage the child’s parents to communicate with their family pediatrician. Here is a table of some of the cognitive milestones infants and toddlers typically develop.

What most children can do at each age

Age	What Most Children Can Do By Each Age ^[1]
2 months	● Pay attention to faces ● Begin to follow things with their eyes and recognize people at a distance ● Begin to act bored (cry, act fussy) if activity doesn’t change
4 months	● Let you know if they are happy or sad ● Respond to affection ● Reach for a toy with one hand ● Use their hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it ● Follow moving things with their eyes from side to side ● Watch people’s faces closely ● Recognize familiar people and things at a distance
6 months	● Look around at things nearby ● Bring things to their mouth ● Show curiosity about things and try to get things that are out of reach ● Begin to pass things from one hand to the other
9 months	● Watch the path of something as it falls ● Look for things they see you hide ● Play peek-a-boo ● Put things in their mouth ● Move things smoothly from one hand to the other ● Pick up things like cereal o’s between thumb and index finger
12 months	● Explore things in different ways, like shaking, banging and throwing ● Find hidden things easily ● Look at the right picture or thing when it’s named ● Copy gestures ● Start to use things correctly; for example, drink from a cup, brush hair with a brush ● Bang two things together ● Put things in a container and take things out of a container ● Let things go without help ● Poke with index (pointer) finger ● Follow simple directions like “pick up the toy”
18 months	● Know what ordinary things are for; for example, telephone, brush, and spoon ● Point to get the attention of others ● Show interest in a doll or stuffed animal by pretending to feed them ● Point to one body part ● Scribble on their own ● Can follow 1-step verbal commands without any gestures; for example, sits when you say “sit down”
24 months	● Find things even when hidden under two or three covers ● Begin to sort shapes and colors ● Complete sentences and rhymes in familiar books ● Play simple make-believe games ● Build towers of 4 or more blocks ● Might use one hand more than the other ● Follow two-step instructions such as “Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.” ● Name items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog
36 months	● Can work toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts ● Play make-believe with dolls, animals, and people ● Do puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces ● Understand what “two” means ● Copy a circle with a pencil or crayon ● Turn book pages one at a time ● Build towers of more than 6 blocks ● Screw and unscrew jar lids or turn door handles

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^[1] CDC’s Developmental Milestones by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is in the public domain.