What to expect at your child’s age and stage of development

April 21, 2023

It’s amazing how fast your child learns and grows. Their brain and body develop step by step from birth, and, before you know it, the tiny baby you brought home from the hospital is walking, talking and doing somersaults.

Along the way, it’s natural to wonder if your child’s development is on track. Should she be crawling by now? When should he be saying sentences with multiple words?

Learn the signs, act early

All children are unique and develop differently, but First Things First’s (FTF) Ages and Stages can help you know if your child is meeting typical developmental milestones and what to do if you have concerns.

Based on the Centers for Disease Control’s milestone checklists and “Learn the Signs, Act Early” materials, FTF’s Ages and Stages tool also offers tips and age-appropriate activities to help children learn and grow. The information is available in both English and Spanish.

Watch for developmental milestones

Developmental milestones are the things most children can do by a certain age. How a child plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves offers important clues about their development.

Missing a milestone doesn’t always mean that a child has a development delay, but parents are encouraged to act early if their child is missing one or more milestones or has lost a skill they once had. Rather than taking a “wait and see” approach, parents with concerns are encouraged to talk with their child’s doctor and ask about developmental screening.

Routine developmental screening is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for all children during well-child visits at nine, 18 and 30 months, along with autism screening at 18 and 24 months.

Review FTF’s Ages and Stages, then let us know what you found the most helpful at @ArizonaEducator on Twitter or Arizona PBS KIDS on Facebook.

About First Things First

First Things First is Arizona’s early childhood agency, committed to the healthy development and learning of young children from birth to age 5. Learn more about early childhood programs at FirstThingsFirst.org.