CDC Milestone Category

Cognitive

Milestone Name	Expected Age
Pays attention to faces	2
Begins to follow things with eyes and recognize people at distance	2
Begins to act bored (cries, fussy) if activity doesn’t change	2
Lets you know if she is happy or sad	4
Responds to affection	4
Reaches for toy with one hand	4
Uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it	4
Follows moving things with eyes from side to side	4
Watches faces closely	4
Recognizes familiar people and things at a distance	4
Looks around at things nearby	6
Brings things to mouth	6
Shows curiosity about things and tries to get things that are out of reach	6
Begins to pass things from one hand to the other	6
Watches the path of something as it falls	9
Looks for things he sees you hide	9
Plays peek-a-boo	9
Puts things in her mouth	9
Moves things smoothly from one hand to the other	9
Picks up things like cereal o’s between thumb and index finger	9
Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing	12
Finds hidden things easily	12
Looks at the right picture or thing when it’s named	12
Copies gestures	12
Starts to use things correctly; for example, drinks from a cup, brushes hair	12
Bangs two things together	12
Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container	12
Lets things go without help	12
Pokes with index (pointer) finger	12
Knows what ordinary things are for; for example, telephone, brush, spoon	18
Points to get the attention of others	18
Shows interest in a doll or stuffed animal by pretending to feed	18
Points to one body part	18
Scribbles on his own	18
Can follow 1-step verbal commands without any gestures: for example, sits when you say “sit down”	18
Finds things even when hidden under two or three covers	24
Begins to sort shapes and colors	24
Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books	24
Plays simple make-believe games	24
Builds towers of 4 or more blocks	24
Might use one hand more than the other	24
Follows two-step instructions such as “Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.”	24
Names items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog	24
Can work toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts	36
Plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people	36
Does puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces	36
Understands what “two” means	36
Copies a circle with pencil or crayon	36
Turns book pages one at a time	36
Builds towers of more than 6 blocks	36
Screws and unscrews jar lids or turns door handle	36
Names some colors and some numbers	48
Understands the idea of counting	48
Starts to understand time	48
Remembers parts of a story	48
Understands the idea of “same” and “different”	48
Draws a person with 2 to 4 body parts	48
Uses scissors	48
Starts to copy some capital letters	48
Plays board or card games	48
Tells you what he thinks is going to happen next in a book	48
Counts 10 or more things	60
Can draw a person with at least 6 body parts	60
Can print some letters or numbers	60
Copies a triangle and other geometric shapes	60
Knows about things used every day, like money and food	60
Follows simple directions like “pick up the toy”	12