Developmental typical milestones

Question 1

What are the milestone ages? EYSF

Answer 1

Birth-11 months
8-20 months
16-26 months
22-36 months
30-50 months
40-60+months

Question 2

Typical behaviour in communication and language from Birth till 11 months?

Answer 2

Turns towards a familiar sound then locates range of sounds
with accuracy.
Listens to, distinguishes and responds to intonations and
sounds of voices.
Reacts in interaction with others by smiling, looking and
moving.
Quietens or alerts to the sound of speech.
Looks intently at a person talking, but stops responding if
speaker turns away.
Listens to familiar sounds, words, or finger plays.
Fleeting Attention – not under child’s control, new stimuli
takes whole attention.

Question 3

Typical behaviour in communication and language from 8-20 months?

Answer 3

Moves whole bodies to sounds they enjoy, such as music or
a regular beat.
Has a strong exploratory impulse.
Concentrates intently on an object or activity of own choosing
for short periods.
Pays attention to dominant stimulus – easily distracted by
noises or other people talking.

Question 4

Typical behaviour in communication and language from 16-26 months?

Answer 4

Listens to and enjoys rhythmic patterns in rhymes and
stories.
Enjoys rhymes and demonstrates listening by trying to join in
with actions or vocalisations.
Rigid attention – may appear not to hear.

Question 5

Typical behaviour in communication and language from 22-36 months

Answer 5

Listens with interest to the noises adults make when they
read stories.
Recognises and responds to many familiar sounds, e.g.
5
turning to a knock on the door, looking at or going to the
door.
• Shows interest in play with sounds, songs and rhymes.
• Single channelled attention. Can shift to a different task if
attention fully obtained – using child’s name helps focus

Question 6

Typical behaviour in communication and language from 30-50 months?

Answer 6

Listens to others one to one or in small groups, when
conversation interests them.
• Listens to stories with increasing attention and recall.
• Joins in with repeated refrains and anticipates key events
and phrases in rhymes and stories.
• Focusing attention – still listen or do, but can shift own
attention.
• Is able to follow directions (if not intently focused on own
choice of activity)

Question 7

Typical behaviour in communication and language from 40-60+months?

Answer 7

Maintains attention, concentrates and sits quietly during
appropriate activity.
• Two-channelled attention – can listen and do for short span

Question 8

Typical behaviour in understanding from Birth-11 months?

Answer 8

Stops and looks when hears own name.
• Starts to understand contextual clues, e.g. familiar gestures,
words and sounds.
• Developing the ability to follow others’ body language,
including pointing and gesture.

Question 9

Typical behaviour in understanding from 8-20 months?

Answer 9

Responds to the different things said when in a familiar
context with a special person (e.g. ‘Where’s Mummy?’,
Where’s your nose?’).
• Understanding of single words in context is developing, e.g.
‘cup’, ‘milk’, ‘daddy’

Question 10

Typical behaviour in understanding from 16-26 months?

Answer 10

Selects familiar objects by name and will go and find objects
when asked, or identify objects from a group.
• Understands simple sentences (e.g. ‘Throw the ball’.
Identifies action words by pointing to the right picture, e.g.
“Who’s jumping?

Question 11

Typical behaviour in understanding from 22-36 months?

Answer 11

Understands more complex sentences, e.g. ‘Put your toys
away and then we’ll read a book.’
• Understands ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’ in simple questions (e.g.
who’s that? What’s that? Where is?).
• Developing understanding of simple
concepts (e.g. big/little).
Understands use of objects (e.g. “What do we use to cut
things?’

Question 12

Typical behaviour in understanding from 30-50 months?

Answer 12

Shows understanding of prepositions such as ‘under’, ‘on
top’, ‘behind’ by carrying out an action or selecting correct
picture.
• Responds to simple instructions, e.g. to get or put away an
object.
• Beginning to understand ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions

Question 13

Typical behaviour in understanding from 40-60+ months?

Answer 13

Responds to instructions involving a two-part sequence.
• Understands humour, e.g. nonsense rhymes, jokes.
• Able to follow a story without pictures or props.
• Listens and responds to ideas expressed by others in
conversation or discussion

Question 14

Typical behaviour for speaking from Birth to 11 months?

Answer 14

Communicates needs and feelings in a variety of ways
including crying, gurgling, babbling and squealing.
• Makes own sounds in response when talked to by familiar
adults.
• Lifts arms in anticipation of being picked up.
• Practises and gradually develops speech sounds (babbling)
to communicate with adults; says sounds like ‘baba, nono,
gogo’.

Question 15

Typical behaviour for speaking from 8-20 months?

Answer 15

Uses sounds in play, e.g. ‘brrrm’ for toy car.
• Uses single words.
• Frequently imitates words and sounds.
• Enjoys babbling and increasingly experiments with using
sounds and words to communicate for a range of purposes
(e.g. teddy, more, no, bye-bye.)
• Uses pointing with eye gaze to make requests, and to share
an interest.
• Creates personal words as they begin to develop language.
• Copies familiar expressions, e.g. ‘Oh dear’, ‘All gone’.
• Beginning to put two words together (e.g. ‘want ball’, ‘more
juice’)

Question 16

Typical behaviour for speaking from Birth to 16-26 months?

Answer 16

• Uses different types of everyday words (nouns, verbs and
adjectives, e.g. banana, go, sleep, hot).
• Beginning to ask simple questions.
• Beginning to talk about people and things that are not
present.

Question 17

Typical behaviour for speaking from Birth to 22-36 months?

Answer 17

• Uses language as a powerful means of widening contacts,
sharing feelings, experiences and thoughts.
• Holds a conversation, jumping from topic to topic.
• Learns new words very rapidly and is able to use them in
communicating.
• Uses gestures, sometimes with limited talk, e.g. reaches
towards toy, saying ‘I have it’.
• Uses a variety of questions (e.g. what, where, who).
• Uses simple sentences (e.g.’ Mummy gonna work.’)
• Beginning to use word endings (e.g. going, cats).

Question 18

Typical behaviour for speaking from 30-50 months?

Answer 18

Beginning to use more complex sentences to link thoughts
(e.g. using and, because).
• Can retell a simple past event in correct order (e.g. went
down slide, hurt finger).
• Uses talk to connect ideas, explain what is happening and
anticipate what might happen next, recall and relive past
experiences.
• Questions why things happen and gives explanations. Asks
e.g. who, what, when, how.
• Uses a range of tenses (e.g. play, playing, will play, played).
• Uses intonation, rhythm and phrasing to make the meaning
clear to others.
• Uses vocabulary focused on objects and people that are of
particular importance to them.
• Builds up vocabulary that reflects the breadth of their
experiences.
• Uses talk in pretending that objects stand for something else
in play, e.g. ‘This box is my castle.’

Question 19

Typical behaviour for speaking from 40-60+ months?

Answer 19

Extends vocabulary, especially by grouping and naming,
exploring the meaning and sounds of new words.
• Uses language to imagine and recreate roles and
experiences in play situations.
• Links statements and sticks to a main theme or intention.
• Uses talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas,
feelings and events.
• Introduces a storyline or narrative into their play.

Question 20

Typical behaviour for moving and handling from Birth- 11 months?

Answer 20

Turns head in response to sounds and sights.
• Gradually develops ability to hold up own head.
• Makes movements with arms and legs which gradually
become more controlled.
• Rolls over from front to back, from back to front.
• When lying on tummy becomes able to lift first head and then
chest, supporting self with forearms and then straight arms.
• Watches and explores hands and feet, e.g. when lying on
back lifts legs into vertical position and grasps feet.
• Reaches out for, touches and begins to hold objects.
• Explores objects with mouth, often picking up an object and
holding it to the mouth

Question 21

Typical behaviour for moving and handling from 40-60+ months?

Answer 21

Experiments with different ways of moving.
• Jumps off an object and lands appropriately.
• Negotiates space successfully when playing racing and
chasing games with other children, adjusting speed or
changing direction to avoid obstacles.
• Travels with confidence and skill around, under, over and
through balancing and climbing equipment.
• Shows increasing control over an object in pushing, patting,
throwing, catching or kicking it.
• Uses simple tools to effect changes to materials.
• Handles tools, objects, construction and malleable materials
safely and with increasing control.
• Shows a preference for a dominant hand.
• Begins to use anticlockwise movement and retrace vertical
lines.
• Begins to form recognisable letters.
• Uses a pencil and holds it effectively to form recognisable
letters, most of which are correctly formed.