5.16 Motor Skill Milestones
While fine motor skills are slower to develop (in accordance with proximodistal development), pretty remarkable progress is made in fine motor development during the first few years. Children go from having no intentional fine motor control to being able to manipulate objects to play and learn, as well as beginning to care of themselves. The following is a table of the major milestones in fine motor development.
Table 5.4. Fine Motor Milestones.
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Typical Age
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What Most Children Do by This Age
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2 months
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- Grasps reflexively
- Does not reach for objects
- Holds hands in fist
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4 months
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- Brings hands to mouth
- Uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it
- Follows moving things with eyes from side to side
- Can hold a toy with whole hand (palmar grasp) and shake it and swing at dangling toys
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6 months
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- Reaches with both arms
- Brings things to mouth
- Begins to pass things from one hand to the other
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9 months
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- Puts things in mouth
- Moves things smoothly from one hand to the other
- Picks up things between thumb and index finger (pincer grip)
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1 year
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- Reaches with one hand
- Bangs two things together
- Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container
- Lets things go without help
- Pokes with index (pointer) finger
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18 months
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- Scribbles on own
- Can help undress herself
- Drinks from a cup
- Eats with a spoon with some accuracy
- Stacks 2-4 objects
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2 years
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- Builds towers of 4 or more blocks
- Might use one hand more than the other
- Makes copies of straight lines and circles
- Enjoys pouring and filling
- Unbuttons large buttons
- Unzips large zippers
- Drinks and feeds self with more accuracy
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3 years
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- Uses hands to twist things, like doorknobs or lids
- Turns book pages, one at a time, when you read to her
- Strings items together, like large beads or macaroni
- Uses a fork
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Developmental Milestones by the CDC is in the public domain.
Children grow very quickly and meet physical milestones rapidly in the first few years of life. The following is a table of the major gross motor milestones that typically occur within the first three years.
Table 5.5. Gross Motor Milestones.
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Typical Age
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What Most Children Do by This Age
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2 months
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- Can hold head up and begins to push up when lying on tummy
- Makes smoother movements with arms and legs
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4 months
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- Holds head steady, unsupported
- Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
- May be able to roll over from tummy to back
- Brings hands to mouth
- When lying on stomach, pushes up to elbows
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6 months
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- Rolls over in both directions (front to back, back to front)
- Begins to sit without support
- When standing, supports weight on legs and might bounce
- Rocks back and forth, sometimes crawling backward before moving forward
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9 months
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- Stands, holding on
- Can get into sitting position
- Sits without support
- Pulls to stand
- Crawls
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1 year
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- Gets to a sitting position without help
- Pulls up to stand, walks holding on to furniture (“cruising”)
- May take a few steps without holding on
- May stand alone
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18 months
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- Walks alone
- May walk up steps and run
- Pulls toys while walking
- Can help undress self
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2 years
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- Stands on tiptoe
- Kicks a ball
- Begins to run
- Climbs onto and down from furniture without help
- Walks up and down stairs holding on
- Throws ball overhand
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3 years
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- Takes some clothes off like pants or an open jacket
- Jumps off the ground with both feet
- Puts on some clothes by himself, like loose pants or a jacket
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Developmental Milestones by the CDC is in the public domain.
“Motor Skill Milestones” from Child Growth and Development authored and compiled by Jennifer Paris, Antoinette Ricardo, & Dawn Rymond is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
