Physical

• Improved walking skills, feet are together, knees flexible (vs. the “just walker” who has a wide-based, legs-apart gate with knees locked.)

• Beginning to imitate/explore a variety of traveling movements – run, jump, leap

• Can walk up stairs semi-independently holding onto rail or hand.

Emotional

• Uses gestures and language to deal with frustration (as opposed to just crying or whining)

• Sustains interest and attention in activity for several minutes. (Note: not wanting to give something up, such as bells, sticks, can be a sign of maturation.)

Cognitive

• Reliably points to correctly identified body parts

• Can follow two-step direction. “Come get a scarf and take it back to Mommy.”

• Understands what “one” means (vs. a handful)

• Learning to use toys in symbolic ways (moving beyond just enjoyment of sensory properties)

• Moving beyond play schemes of mouthing, throwing and dumping. Actions become purposeful and integrated

• Can interact in a directed activity

• Able to shift attention with transition

• Connects to and activity; initiates a play sequence with caregiver

• Reliably responds to own name (refers to self by name in secure environments)

Language

• Can express wants and needs symbolically (gestures, words)

• Has vocabulary of at least 20 words. Receptive language is still stronger than expressive.

• Reading with caregiver becomes cooperative. Child will select book, sit, turn pages, relate to story and interact.

Social

• Interested in what other children are doing

• Capable of distal communication (ie, following verbal instructions from further away.)

• Beginning to follow implicit directions (Mom says “Time to go” and child gets coat or runs to door.)

Musical

• Moves to music, perhaps to steady beat

• Responds to rhymes and songs, recognizes familiar ones

Physical

• Has taller, thinner, adult-like appearance

• Balances on one foot, jumps in place without falling

• Holding crayons in pincer grasp rather than fist

Emotional

• Recognizes needs of another person, can be empathetic

• Separates from parent without crying

• Development of humor

Cognitive

• Knows if they are a boy or a girl

• Can do matching games

• Can name lots of animals

• Knows triangle, circle, square; red yellow, blue

• Developing divergent thing skills (“What animals do you like?”)

• Beginning to transition from concrete thinking to abstract (humor aids the process)

• Sits and listens to stories for up to 10 minutes

Social

§         Recognizes the needs of another person

§         Turn taking becomes easier

§         Learning about patience

Musical

• Recites rhymes

• Sings simple, whole songs