Vocabulary and Expressive Language:

25-28 Months:

  • Vocabulary expands to around 200-1,000 words.
  • Starts using three-word sentences.
  • Begins to use plurals (e.g., “dogs”), pronouns (e.g., “I,” “you”), and verb tenses (e.g., “running”).
  • Engages in simple conversations, answering questions about familiar topics.

28-31 Months:

  • Vocabulary continues to grow, with 1,000-1,500 words.
  • Uses four to five-word sentences.
  • Asks a variety of questions, such as “What’s that?” and “Where’s daddy?”
  • Begins to use descriptive words (e.g., colors, sizes) to describe objects.

31-36 Months:

  • Vocabulary expands to 1,500-2,500 words or more.
  • Uses five to six-word sentences and more complex sentence structures.
  • Tells simple stories or recounts events.
  • Begins to use imagination and engage in pretend play with toys.

Receptive Language:

25-28 Months:

  • Understands and follows more complex instructions (e.g., “Find the red ball and put it on the table”).
  • Recognizes familiar objects and people in pictures or books.
  • Identifies body parts when asked.

28-31 Months:

  • Follows more complex directions involving multiple steps.
  • Understands basic concepts like big/little, in/on, and under/over.
  • Points to and names familiar objects in pictures or books.

31-36 Months:

  • Understands and follows more abstract instructions (e.g., “Put the teddy bear next to the doll and behind the chair”).
  • Recognizes and names familiar objects in everyday environments.
  • Shows improved comprehension of stories and simple narratives.

Speech Sound Development:

25-28 Months:

  • May still have difficulty with some speech sounds (e.g., difficulty with “r,” “th,” “l”).
  • Speech is becoming increasingly intelligible to familiar listeners.
  • Uses more speech sounds and begins to pronounce words more accurately.

28-31 Months:

  • Continues to improve speech sound production.
  • Begins to use more consonant sounds in words.
  • Speech is intelligible to most people, even those who are not familiar with the child.

31-36 Months:

  • Demonstrates significant improvement in speech sound accuracy.
  • Uses a wider range of speech sounds correctly.
  • Strangers can understand most of what the child says.

Social Communication:

  • Engages in cooperative play with peers and adults.
  • Initiates conversations and maintains them for longer periods.
  • Begins to use language for negotiation and problem-solving during play.
  • Shows empathy and comfort with emotions, both their own and others’.

Gross Motor Skills:

25-28 Months:

  • Walks and runs with more confidence and coordination.
  • Climbs up and down stairs with alternating feet (alternating step pattern).
  • Jumps off low surfaces with both feet.
  • Kicks a ball forward and attempts to catch it.

28-31 Months:

  • Rides a tricycle with some assistance, using pedal power.
  • Hops on one foot, albeit with limited balance and control.
  • Walks on tiptoes and possibly on heels for short distances.
  • May begin to gallop or skip with support and encouragement.

31-36 Months:

  • Runs with agility and can stop and change direction easily.
  • Climbs playground equipment independently, including ladders and slides.
  • Pedals a tricycle independently.
  • Jumps over small objects or from a low height.
  • Shows improved balance and coordination in gross motor activities.

Fine Motor Skills:

25-28 Months:

  • Builds towers with blocks, increasing the number of blocks stacked.
  • Turns pages of a book one at a time.
  • Begins to use utensils more independently for self-feeding.
  • Enjoys simple art activities like drawing with crayons or markers.

28-31 Months:

  • Builds more complex structures with blocks.
  • Starts to copy basic shapes and lines when drawing.
  • Uses scissors with supervision and safety scissors.
  • Shows improved hand-eye coordination in activities like threading beads.

31-36 Months:

  • Builds more intricate structures with blocks and other construction toys.
  • Copies more complex shapes and letters when drawing.
  • Begins to show precision in cutting with scissors.
  • Demonstrates improved hand strength and dexterity for tasks like buttoning, zipping, and lacing.

Balance and Coordination:

  • Becomes more confident in activities that require balance, such as walking along a curb.
  • Enjoys activities like hopping, skipping, and jumping, though with varying levels of skill.
  • May be able to balance on one foot for a few seconds.
  • Demonstrates improved control and coordination in physical play and games.

Self-Care and Independence:

  • Becomes more independent in self-care tasks like dressing and undressing.
  • May start to show interest in toilet training, although full independence may not be achieved until later.
  • Demonstrates increased interest in washing hands, brushing teeth, and basic hygiene routines.

Social and Play Skills:

  • Engages in more cooperative play with peers.
  • Participates in group activities and games with other children.
  • Shows an increased ability to share, take turns, and follow simple rules in play.
  • Enjoys imaginative and pretend play, creating scenarios and stories with toys.

Fine Motor Skills:

25-28 Months:

  • Demonstrates improved hand-eye coordination in activities like stacking blocks.
  • Enjoys simple art activities like finger painting or using crayons.
  • Starts to copy basic shapes and lines when drawing.
  • Uses a pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger) effectively for picking up small objects.

28-31 Months:

  • Builds more complex structures with blocks and other construction toys.
  • Begins to copy more complex shapes and letters when drawing.
  • Uses scissors with supervision and safety scissors.
  • Shows improved hand strength and dexterity for tasks like buttoning, zipping, and lacing.

31-36 Months:

  • Develops a mature pencil grasp for drawing and writing.
  • Copies basic shapes and may attempt to write some letters or numbers.
  • Demonstrates precision and control when using scissors.
  • Shows increased skill in self-care tasks like dressing and self-feeding.

Visual-Motor Skills:

25-28 Months:

  • Begins to show interest in puzzles with larger pieces.
  • Enjoys activities that involve matching, sorting, and categorizing objects.
  • Shows an understanding of basic spatial concepts like in/on, under/over, and next to/beside.

28-31 Months:

  • Tries more challenging puzzles with smaller pieces.
  • Participates in activities that involve visual tracking, such as following mazes or tracing lines.
  • Shows an increased ability to complete simple patterns and sequences.

31-36 Months:

  • Demonstrates improved visual-motor integration skills.
  • Engages in more complex puzzles and shape-sorting activities.
  • Begins to connect dots to create simple pictures.
  • Shows increased interest in drawing and coloring within the lines.

Self-Care Skills:

25-28 Months:

  • Shows increased independence in self-feeding with utensils.
  • May begin to show interest in toilet training, although full independence may not be achieved until later.
  • Demonstrates interest in washing hands and may start to assist with handwashing.
  • May attempt to put on simple clothing items with assistance.

28-31 Months:

  • Becomes more independent in self-care tasks like dressing and undressing.
  • Demonstrates improved self-feeding skills with utensils.
  • Shows an interest in washing face and brushing teeth with assistance.
  • May begin to use the toilet with some success.

31-36 Months:

  • Makes significant strides in self-care independence, including dressing, self-feeding, and hygiene routines.
  • Shows an increased interest in and understanding of toilet training.
  • Demonstrates improved fine motor skills in tasks like fastening buttons, zippers, and laces.

Play and Social Skills:

  • Engages in imaginative and pretend play with toys and peers.
  • Participates in group activities and follows simple rules in play.
  • Shows improved cooperative play skills, sharing, and taking turns.
  • Demonstrates increased independence in choosing and setting up play activities.

These therapy milestones are general guidelines, and children develop at their own pace. If you have concerns about your child’s development, please reach out to the clinic to schedule an evaluation. Early intervention can be beneficial in addressing any concerns.