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.

*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

By 2 months

Begin to push up when on tummy
Start making deliberate movements with arms and legs

Toddlers & Preschoolers

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

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

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