Developmental Milestones - 3 Years Old
Photo courtesy of Jessica Rockowitz (Unsplash)
At 3 years, old most children
Fine and Gross Motor Skills
Can dress and undress themselves.
Able to screw and unscrew jar lids or turn door handles.
Can build a tower of six or more blocks.
Runs easily and climbs well.
Can pedal a tricycle.
Walks up and down stairs with one foot on each step.
Language and Communication
Can follow two or three-step instructions such as ‘go and find your coat and shoes, and put them on.’
Knows their first name, age and sex.
Understands a few simple prepositions like ‘in,’ ‘on’ and ‘under’.
Understands simple pronouns such as ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘we’ and ‘you’, and some plurals that end in ‘-s,’ i.e. car – cars.
Their speech is clear enough for strangers to understand them most of the time.
Can carry on a conversation using two or three sentences.
Names most familiar objects.
Intellectual
Knows how to operate toys with buttons, levers and other moving parts.
Uses dolls, animals and people in their make-believe.
Can do 3-4-piece jigsaw puzzles.
Understands ‘two’.
Can copy a circle with a pencil or crayon.
Social and Emotional
Copies adults and friends.
Displays affection for friends and concern when they are upset.
Can take turns in games.
Gets upset when there are major changes to their routine.
Understands ‘mine,’ ‘his’ and ‘hers.’
Continuing independence makes separation form carers even easier.
Shows a wide variety of emotions.
Remember this is meant as a rough guide to where your child should be with their development, but if you are at all worried that they may be lagging behind in any area, or they lose a skill they previously had, you should always seek the advice of a health professional.
Source:
(Taken from book sample online)
Savory, L., Bulman, K., 25 August, 2006, BTEC First Children’s Care, Learning and Development - Understanding Children’s Development, 1st edition, Heinemann, accessed on: 21 August 2020, available at: (sample found at:) https://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/FEAndVocational/Childcare/BTEC/BTECFirstChildrensCareLearningandDevelop/Samples/SampleMaterial/UCD%20Unit%201.pdf
CDC – Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 June, 2020, CDC – Centre for Disease Control and Prevention - Milestones, accessed on: 21 August, 2020, available at: