Age-by-Age Learning Skills

Parents are the first to notice when children miss a developmental milestone. All kids develop coordination and motor skills at slightly different rates, but kids tend to reach certain milestones at certain ages. Use our age-by-age guide below, to see when kids typically develop coordination and motor skills. 

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*If your child isn’t on track with all of these milestones, don’t panic. All children develop differently. Talk to your child’s health-care provider about what you’re noticing to get a better sense of how your child is doing & what do need next to begin receiving early intervention, classroom accommodations, and/or modifications

 

Infants & Babies

Siblings

By 2 months

  • Begin to push up when on tummy

  • Start making deliberate movements with arms and legs

 

Toddlers & Preschoolers

Toddler Girl Chasing Bubbles

Ages 18 months-2 years

  • Walk forward and backward

  • Run

  • Eat with a utensil

  • Hold a thick crayon or marker

  • Walk up and down stairs holding railing or person's hand for support

  • Throw a ball

 

Grade Schoolers

Kids Playing

Ages 5-6 years

  • Run, hop, skip, and jump

  • Perform basic dance moves

  • Throw and kick a ball, and catch it with two hands

  • Copy shapes and letters

  • Brush own teeth

  • Use spoons and forks the right way

  • May start to play a musical instrument

 

Middle-Schoolers & High-Schoolers

Diversity Students

Ages 16- 18 years

  • Become more agile and less clumsy, making it easier to do things like type on a keyboard and build complicated projects

  • Refine visual-spatial coordination to help judge distance and speed and react quickly when driving

Ages 11-15 years

  • Refine movements like those used in team sports

  • May try to develop strength and endurance due to increased muscle mass- especially boys

  • May be clumsy because of growth spurts

Fan Cheering