Child Milestones Month by Month: What to Expect From 0-5

At Landsdale Early Learning & Enrichment, we've been supporting Perth families through these incredible milestones for over 13 years. Here's a guide to what you can generally expect, month by month and year by year, from 0 to 5.

Please note: All children develop at their own pace. These milestones are general guides, not strict benchmarks. If you have concerns about your child's development, always speak with your GP or a paediatrician.

0–3 Months: Hello, World

Your newborn is busy taking it all in. In the first three months, expect to see:

• Physical: Lifting their head briefly during tummy time, jerky arm and leg movements, starting to open and shut their hands

• Social & Emotional: Recognising your face and voice, beginning to smile (that first real smile around 6–8 weeks is everything)

• Communication: Cooing, gurgling, and crying to communicate different needs

• Cognitive: Tracking moving objects with their eyes, responding to bright colours and contrasting patterns

✨ How you can help: Talk, sing, and narrate your day. Your voice is their favourite sound.

4–6 Months: Finding Their Voice

This stage is pure joy babies become more interactive and start discovering what their bodies can do.

• Physical: Rolling from tummy to back (and eventually back to tummy!), stronger head and neck control, reaching and grasping toys

• Social & Emotional: Laughing out loud, showing excitement at familiar faces, beginning to show preference for caregivers

• Communication: Babbling ("ba ba", "da da"), responding to their name, turning toward sounds

• Cognitive: Exploring objects with their mouth, showing curiosity about cause and effect (shaking a rattle = noise!)

✨ How you can help: Offer safe, colourful toys to grip and explore. Read together it's never too early to start.

7–9 Months: On the Move

Get ready things are about to get a lot more active!

• Physical: Sitting without support, commando crawling or traditional crawling, pulling up to stand against furniture

• Social & Emotional: Separation anxiety often begins (totally normal!), showing clear preferences for familiar people

• Communication: More complex babbling with varied tones, gesturing to point at objects of interest

• Cognitive: Object permanence develops (they now know you exist even when you leave the room hence the tears!)

✨ How you can help: Create safe spaces to explore freely. Peek-a-boo is not just fun it builds object permanence!

10–12 Months: First Steps

The one-year mark is full of big moments.

• Physical: Cruising along furniture, first independent steps may appear, using a pincer grip to pick up small items

• Social & Emotional: Waving bye-bye, clapping, beginning to show empathy (may pat or hug others who seem sad)

• Communication: First words typically emerge! "Mama", "dada", or simple words they hear often

• Cognitive: Imitating actions, enjoying simple cause-and-effect toys, beginning to understand simple instructions

✨ How you can help: Narrate everything. "We're putting on your shoes. One foot, two feet!" Language-rich environments build big vocabularies.

12–18 Months: The Explorer

Toddlerhood begins! Independence is the theme of this stage.

• Physical: Walking confidently, beginning to run (shakily!), climbing stairs with support, stacking two or three blocks

• Social & Emotional: Beginning to assert independence (hello, first tantrums!), showing affection, playing alongside other children

• Communication: Vocabulary grows to 10–20 words, pointing to pictures in books when named

• Cognitive: Simple pretend play begins, understanding "no", enjoying sorting and stacking activities

✨ How you can help: Offer simple choices ("Do you want the red cup or the blue cup?") to build autonomy and language.

At Landsdale ELE, our Nursery supports babies from birth through to this stage a small, nurturing environment where little ones can explore freely, rest when needed, and begin to form their very first friendships.

18 Months–2 Years: Big Personality, Bigger Feelings

This age is often called the "discovery stage" children are learning fast and their emotions are equally big.

• Physical: Running, kicking a ball, walking up and down stairs with support, beginning to use a spoon

• Social & Emotional: Parallel play (playing next to, rather than with, peers), beginning to show sympathy, testing limits regularly

• Communication: Two-word phrases ("more milk", "daddy go"), vocabulary expanding rapidly up to 50+ words

• Cognitive: Imaginative play begins, following two-step instructions, recognising themselves in a mirror

✨ How you can help: Name emotions out loud "You seem frustrated. That's okay." Emotional vocabulary is a skill for life.

Our Little Toddlers Room is perfectly designed for this stage combining a homely atmosphere with child-led experiences that encourage self-regulation, creativity, and growing independence.

2–3 Years: Little Communicators

Language explodes during this period. Your toddler has opinions and they will tell you about them.

• Physical: Jumping with two feet, pedalling a tricycle, increasing coordination and balance

• Social & Emotional: Beginning to engage in cooperative play, developing friendships, experiencing (and learning to manage) big emotions

• Communication: Sentences of 3–4 words, asking endless questions (the "why" stage is real!), beginning to understand past and future tense

• Cognitive: Sorting by shape and colour, engaging in more complex pretend play, beginning to understand rules in simple games

✨ How you can help: Read together every day. Ask open-ended questions about stories: "What do you think happens next?"

In our Big Toddlers Room, communication is front and centre. Educators actively model language, encourage interaction, and use numeracy and literacy-based activities to prepare children for the next exciting step kindy!

Toilet training is also a big milestone during this period. At Landsdale ELE, we support this milestone alongside other children in the room, making it a natural, social learning experience.

3–4 Years: Creative & Curious

Preschool-aged children are sponges they absorb everything.

• Physical: Hopping on one foot, catching a ball, drawing recognisable shapes and simple figures

• Social & Emotional: Forming real friendships, taking turns, navigating conflict with some support

• Communication: Full sentences, storytelling, understanding and retelling simple narratives

• Cognitive: Counting to 10+, beginning to recognise letters (especially in their own name), asking complex questions about the world

✨ How you can help: Encourage creative play art, music, dress-ups, and building. These activities develop critical thinking, fine motor skills, and imagination all at once.

Our Kindy program uses an inquiry-based approach, following the Early Years Learning Framework. Indoor and outdoor spaces are thoughtfully designed with zones for imaginative play, gross motor skills, and discovery-led learning all tailored to children's natural curiosity.

4–5 Years: School Ready

The final year before formal school is all about building confidence, independence, and the foundations for lifelong learning.

• Physical: Running, jumping, climbing with confidence; strong fine motor skills for writing and cutting

• Social & Emotional: Understanding and following rules, resolving conflicts more independently, demonstrating empathy

• Communication: Clear speech understood by strangers, retelling stories in sequence, beginning to write their own name

• Cognitive: Recognising letters and numbers, understanding concepts like time (yesterday, tomorrow), asking and answering complex questions

✨ How you can help: Practice self-care routines packing their bag, managing their own belongings, toileting independently. These skills are just as important as literacy.

Our Preschool program is play-based and child-led, following the Early Years Learning Framework Curriculum. Through our School Readiness Program, we prepare each child for the Australian Kindergarten Curriculum ensuring they feel confident, capable, and excited for the adventure ahead.

Every Child's Journey is Unique

Milestones are a guide, not a report card. Some children walk at 10 months; others at 15. Some are talking in full sentences at 2; others are still building their word bank at 3.

What matters most is that your child feels safe, loved, and supported to learn at their own pace.

At Landsdale Early Learning & Enrichment, our educators are trained to observe, support, and celebrate each child's individual developmental journey from our Nursery right through to Preschool.

Want to see our approach in action? Book a tour today we'd love to show you around and answer any questions you have about supporting your child's early development.

Landsdale Early Learning & Enrichment has been Perth's trusted, family-owned childcare centre since 2013. Accredited by ACECQA, we're proud to offer quality early education and care for children from birth to school age in the heart of Landsdale.