At three years of age your child will begin to spontaneously shows affection for familiar playmates. Soon they’ll understand concept of “mine” and “his/hers.”
Child development milestones are some of the most exciting moments of raising a child. From the first time they smile, to the first steps they take, to the first words they speak; every moment creates an exhilarating rush of happiness to any mother or father.
During these child developmental stages parents are there to nurture every step of their child’s development. Following is a list of a child’s 3 Year Developmental Milestones. This list is based off of child development research found by CDC.gov, your online source for credible health information, and the official Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please note, every child develops at their own rate, so there is no reason to be alarmed if your child has not reached these stages yet.
Social
- Imitates adults and playmates
- Spontaneously shows affection for familiar playmates
- Can take turns in games
- Understands concept of “mine” and “his/hers”
Emotional
- Expresses affection openly
- Expresses a wide range of emotions
- By 3, separates easily from parents
- Objects to major changes in routine
Cognitive
- Makes mechanical toys work
- Matches an object in her hand or room to a picture in a book
- Plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people
- Sorts objects by shape and color
- Completes puzzles with three or four pieces
- Understands concept of “two”
Language
- Follows a two- or three-part command
- Recognizes and identifies almost all common objects and pictures
- Understands most sentences
- Understands placement in space (“on,” “in,” “under”)
- Uses 4- to 5-word sentences
- Can say name, age, and sex
- Uses pronouns (I, you, me, we, they) and some plurals (cars, dogs, cats)
- Strangers can understand most of her words
Movement
- Climbs well
- Walks up and down stairs, alternating feet (one foot per stair step)
- Kicks ball
- Runs easily
- Pedals tricycle
- Bends over easily without falling
Hand and Finger Skills
- Makes up-and-down, side-to-side, and circular lines with pencil or crayon
- Turns book pages one at a time
- Builds a tower of more than six blocks
- Holds a pencil in writing position
- Screws and unscrews jar lids, nuts, and bolts
- Turns rotating handles
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