Developmental Milestones by Age: 0 to 6 Years
21 September 2026 · 8 minutes
# Developmental Milestones by Age: 0 to 6 Years You may notice your child doing something new and wonder, is this happening at the expected time? Or a relative may compare your child with a cousin, leaving you worried. Child development milestones offer useful guidance, but they are not an exam. Look at how your child moves, communicates, plays and connects with people together, rather than judging development by one skill alone.
## Developmental milestones by age: What happens from 0 to 6 months?
During these first months, movement gradually becomes more controlled. Your baby begins lifting their head during supervised tummy time while awake, bringing hands towards the mouth and reaching for nearby toys. By around six months, many babies roll from tummy to back and push up on straight arms. Sitting still needs support at this stage. Always place your baby on their back for sleep.
Communication starts well before words. Watch for your baby looking at your face, calming to a familiar voice, smiling back and making cooing sounds. Later in this period, chuckles, squeals and taking turns making sounds become part of play. Offer your face, voice and a simple rattle rather than a busy collection of toys. Mention poor head control, unusually floppy or stiff movements, or little response to sound to your paediatrician.
## Developmental milestones by age: What happens from 6 to 12 months?
Your baby becomes more interested in getting somewhere and exploring what they find. Sitting without support usually develops during this period. Pulling to stand and moving along furniture often follow closer to the first birthday. Crawling varies, and some babies use another way of moving. Watch for progress and use of both sides of the body. Picking up food with the thumb and fingertip also begins to emerge.
Babbling becomes richer, with sounds such as bababa or mamama, although these are not always meaningful words yet. Your baby may respond to their name, lift their arms to be picked up and enjoy peekaboo. Waving and other gestures begin to carry a message. Some babies say a first meaningful word near their birthday. If your baby is not sitting by around nine months, or has little babbling or engagement, seek advice.
## Developmental milestones by age: What happens from 1 to 2 years?
This period often brings independent walking, then attempts at running and climbing. Walking may still look wide and unsteady at first. Your child begins scribbling, stacking a few blocks and trying a spoon, with plenty of spills. Offer safe floor space and supervised opportunities to climb. If your child is not walking independently by eighteen months, arrange a review rather than assuming they simply need more practice.
Words gradually join gestures. By around two years, most children begin putting two words together, such as more milk or amma come. They also point to show you something interesting, follow familiar simple instructions and try pretend actions, such as feeding a doll. Count meaningful words across all languages your child uses. Learning Tamil and English does not itself cause language delay. Few gestures or no meaningful words by sixteen months deserve discussion.
## Developmental milestones by age: What happens from 2 to 3 years?
Movement becomes quicker and more purposeful. Your child may run, kick a ball, jump with both feet and manage stairs with support. Hands become better at turning book pages, threading large beads with supervision and using a fork. Dressing is still a shared job, but they may push an arm through a sleeve or remove loose clothing. Give them time to try before stepping in to help.
Short word combinations grow into little conversations. Your child starts asking questions, naming actions and telling you what they want, although pronunciation is still developing. Pretend play becomes more connected, perhaps cooking food and then serving it. Playing beside other children is common, with brief moments of joining in. Sharing remains difficult. If there are no spontaneous two word combinations by two years, or understanding seems limited, ask for an assessment.
## Developmental milestones by age: What happens from 3 to 4 years?
At this age, many children become more confident on playground equipment, pedal a tricycle when given the opportunity and begin catching a large ball. Drawing changes from scribbles towards circles and simple recognisable shapes. Your child may put on some loose clothes and use cutlery more effectively. These skills need opportunities to practise. A child who has never used crayons may need familiarisation before their drawing tells us much.
Sentences become longer, and your child may describe something that happened at preschool or ask a string of why questions. Speech should become increasingly understandable to people outside the family, though some sounds remain immature. Pretend games now include roles, such as shopkeeper, teacher or parent. Interest in other children grows. Persistent difficulty communicating needs, understanding familiar directions or joining simple shared play is worth discussing with a therapist.
## Developmental milestones by age: What happens from 4 to 6 years?
Over these two years, balance and coordination continue improving. Children often learn to hop on one foot, catch more reliably and manage playground games with changing rules. Drawing, using scissors with supervision and handling buttons become easier with practice. Closer to six, some children begin skipping. Handwriting readiness varies with experience, and neat letters alone are not a measure of overall development. Comfort, control and participation matter too.
Your child may tell a simple story, explain what happened during the day and sustain several turns of conversation. Pretend play becomes more organised, with friends negotiating who does what. Taking turns and coping with disappointment improve gradually, but still need adult help. Watch whether your child can understand everyday instructions and connect with peers. Ongoing difficulty following routines, communicating clearly or managing ordinary play deserves a closer look.
## Which child development milestones need a closer look?
These age groups describe a progression, not a list every child must complete at the start of each band. For babies born early, clinicians usually consider corrected age during the first two years. Opportunity, health and temperament also influence what you see. Still, waiting indefinitely is not helpful. A clear gap, concerns across several areas, or difficulty participating in everyday activities are good reasons to request a developmental review.
Losing a skill your child previously used, such as words, gestures or walking, needs prompt medical review. Sudden loss of skills or new weakness needs urgent medical attention. Also raise concerns about consistently using one side less, not responding to sounds or rarely sharing attention with you. Hearing and vision checks may be appropriate. Bring short videos and specific examples, such as they no longer wave, rather than feeling you must name a diagnosis.
## What happens during a developmental assessment?
A developmental assessment looks beyond whether your child can complete a single task. The clinician asks about pregnancy and birth, health, daily routines, languages used at home and your main concerns. Observation through play helps explore movement, understanding, communication and social interaction. Depending on the findings, standardised assessment, hearing evaluation or a medical referral may be recommended. The purpose is to understand your child's needs and agree on useful next steps.
If something looks behind, you do not need to wait for school to raise it or for a relative to agree. Book a developmental assessment at Next Steps Therapy Center in Selaiyur, Chennai. Share what your child finds easy, what feels difficult and what has changed. An assessment can help clarify whether monitoring, practical guidance, therapy or further evaluation is appropriate, with goals that make sense for your family's everyday life.