Development Of Children’s Physical Skills: The Milestones

Every child has a pace of development. The development of children’s physical skills and milestones can be met early or bit later (mostly + 1month). From sitting, crawling to walking to catching a ball to hopping, every skill develops at a different speed for every child. At Tappy Toes Nursery, we record your child’s development and support them to achieve their milestones as per age.

Examples of physical development milestones- Infants to 5-year old.

2 Months

• Holds head up with support
• Begins to push up when lying on tummy
• Makes smoother movements with arms and legs

4 Months

• Holds head steady without support
• Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
• Rolls over from tummy to back
• Holds and shakes toys, swings at dangling toys
• Brings hands to mouth
• Pushes up to elbows when lying on tummy

6 Months

• Rolls over both from stomach to back and from back to stomach
• Begins to sit with support
• Supports weight on legs when standing and might bounce
• Rocks back and forth, sometimes crawls backward before moving forward

9 Months

• Crawls
• Sits without support
• Moves into sitting position with support
• Stands, holding on to adult or furniture for support
• Pulls to stand

1 Year

• Moves into sitting position without support
• Pulls up to stand and walks alone while holding onto furniture
• Takes few steps without support of adult or furniture
• Stands alone

18 Months

• Walks aloneRuns
• Pulls toys while walking
• Helps undress self
• Drinks from a cup
• Eats with a spoon

2 Years

• Begins to run
• Climbs onto and down from furniture without support
• Walks up and down starts while holding on for support
• Throws ball overhand
• Draws or copies straight lines and circles
• Stands on tiptoes
• Kicks a ball

2 to 3 years old

• walk up and down stairs; jump off one step
• kick a ball
• stand and walk on tiptoe
• run; dodge

3 to 4 years old

• walk backward and forward unselfconsciously; turn and stop well
• jump off low steps or objects, but find it hard to jump over objects
• begin to ride trikes and pump on swings
• stand on one foot unsteadily; balance with difficulty on low four-inch balance beam while watching their feet
• play actively, but tire suddenly

4 to 5 years old

• skip unevenly; run well
• stand on one foot for five seconds or more; master the low balance beam
• alternate feet when walking down stairs; judge well when placing feet on climbing structures
• jump on a small trampoline
• show awareness of things in environment (such as cars on the street), but still need supervision and help protecting self
• have increased endurance in play

These are some of the developmental milestones. For detailed milestones and assessment, you can get in touch with us.

Keep in mind that certain conditions must exist for an infant or toddler to grow and develop. A young child’s basic needs, or physical needs, include:

• Food (nutritious and age-appropriate)
• Shelter (protection from harm)
• Warmth
• Clean air and environment
• Health and dental care
• Activity and rest

The values and beliefs held by family and culture contribute to our knowledge of growth and development. When a child goes to nursery, educators actively track your child’s development and are able to identify any delays that may need additional support.

At Tappy Toes Nursery, we believe that all children are capable and will develop with support, care, good environment and patience from parents and carers. That said, We recommend that you read about tips on improving your child’s physical development skills.

If you have any questions about the development of children’s physical skills and milestones, feel free to leave a comment below!