Developmental Milestones: 18-24 months 

Developmental milestones are checkpoints in your child’s physical, cognitive and behavioural growth. It is important to be aware of certain milestones in your child's development, but it is not something that you should place intense focus on. For example, between 18 and 24 months your child will be running and beginning to jump. Being aware of these milestones allows you to understand if your child is on the right trajectory, or if a particular milestone may be missing or significantly delayed, then to seek professional advice. 

Below is a list of major milestones that typically appear between 18 and 24 months with a focus on physical and motor development.

Physical development

• Able to run with a ‘flight phase’ where both feet are off the ground
• Can kick a ball
• Develops the strength to jump with two feet off the ground
• Backs in to a chair to sit down
• Can take off own shoes, hat and socks
• Walks holding larger objects, such as a teddy bear.
• Able to turn knobs
• Can place items with significant accuracy

Cognitive development

• Speaks in 2 word sentences
• Understands ‘yours’ versus ‘mine’
• Names familiar people in photos

Social development

• Uses gestures and words during pretend play
• Enjoys role playing and mimicking real-life situations

This information is taken from Toddler’s First Steps. For more information and a more complete list of developmental milestones, please visit HealthLink BC.

Introducing ride-on toys, running games and shape sorting activities at this age is great for development. A game such as One Fish, Two Fish, Starfish, Blue Fish is a great way to connect physical and cognitive development. Songs are another great activity for this age, especially songs that include actions so you are able to dance along together and your child can copy you. A list of these songs can be found on our Songs with Actions page.