What most children can do
Each list shows what about three in four children manage by that point. It is a guide to what is coming, not an exam: children arrive at these in different orders and at different speeds, and a baby born early should be measured from their due date.
By 15 months
- Copies other children while playing and claps when excited
- Shows you an object they like, and hugs a doll or soft toy
- Tries to say one or two words besides "mama" and "dada"
- Looks at a familiar object when you name it, and points to ask for something
- Takes a few steps alone and feeds themselves with fingers
By 18 months
- Moves away from you but checks that you are close by
- Points to show you something interesting
- Tries to say three or more words besides "mama" and "dada"
- Follows a one-step direction without a gesture, such as "give it to me"
- Walks without holding on, scribbles, drinks from a cup and tries to use a spoon
By 2 years
- Notices when others are hurt or upset, and looks at your face to see how to react
- Says at least two words together, such as "more milk"
- Points to things in a book when you ask, and to at least two body parts
- Plays with more than one toy at a time, and tries switches, knobs and buttons
- Kicks a ball, runs, walks up a few stairs and eats with a spoon
What helps at this age
- Name what they point at. Pointing is a question. Every time you answer it with a word — "yes, a dog!" — you are doing the single most effective thing there is for a toddler's vocabulary.
- Offer two choices. "Banana or apple?" gives a toddler the control they are hungry for, inside limits you have chosen. It prevents more tantrums than any discipline.
- Read the same book again. And again. Repetition is not boredom at this age; it is how words are learned. Let them turn the pages and point.
- Let them help, slowly. Carrying a spoon, putting one toy in a box, pulling off a sock. It takes three times as long and it is the whole point.
- Very little screen, and together. The guidance is to avoid screens other than video calls before eighteen months, and after that only short, good content with you beside them talking about it. Our toddler mode is built for exactly that: five minutes, on your lap.
If you only have ten minutes a day
Get down to your child's level, put the phone in another room, and follow their lead: play what they choose, describe what they are doing, and copy them. Ten minutes of that, daily, does more than an hour of distracted company — and it is the part children remember.
When to ask a doctor
Most differences are just differences. But some signs are worth raising early, because early help works far better than waiting, and asking costs nothing:
- Is not walking by eighteen months
- Does not point to show things to others by eighteen months
- Has fewer than about six words at eighteen months, or is not joining two words by two years
- Does not copy actions or words
- Does not follow simple instructions by two
- Does not notice or mind when a parent leaves or returns
- Loses skills they once had
You know your child better than any list does. If something worries you for more than a few weeks, that is reason enough to ask — you do not need to be certain. This page is general information, not medical advice or a diagnosis.
The range of normal is wide
Some children walk at nine months and some at seventeen; both are normal. Children growing up with two languages may say their first words a little later and then catch up completely, with both languages intact — do not drop the home language. Girls and boys, first-borns and third-borns, cautious children and bold ones all take different routes. What matters is steady progress in their own direction, not the date on the calendar, and never the neighbour's child.
Other ages
See every age from birth to six on the child development milestones page. For day-to-day ideas there is a twelve-week plan for parents, and for the hard moments — tantrums, sleep, biting, food — there is feelings first aid.
Now do it for real
When the screen goes off, do something with your hands. Try 🎈 The balloon that sticks — an easy science experiment for ages 4-6, with every step read aloud in your language. You will need a balloon, your hair or a woollen cloth, small bits of paper; nothing that needs a trip to a shop.
There are 56 more on the things to do at home page, and free printable worksheets if you would rather have something on paper. Ten minutes on a screen and twenty minutes off it is a good shape for a day at this age.
Parents also look for
- First words for baby app
- First words for toddlers
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- What should a 4 year old know
- What should a 2 year old know
- Preschool curriculum for 4 year olds