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Searches for needed objects to accomplish a task (bottle for baby doll)
Recognizes and names self and others in mirror
Communicates needs, wishes, feelings with words and gestures
Sets a standard to evaluate success of actions for self (what is good enough)
Constantly demands adult’s attention, especially when the adult is busy
Pushes for autonomy and exploration of environment, but still needs to stay in touch with adult
Beginning to respond to others feelings
Follows single-step directions
Demonstrates embarrassment and pride, smiles when engaged in a joint activity with adult
Recognizes “wrong” and engages in self-tattling (i.e. says “No, no” while doing wrong action)
Picks up a toy from the floor by bending over at the waist, getting the toy, then standing back up
Walks upstairs while holding on
Attempts to jump without feet leaving the floor
Throws a ball into a close box
Moves a ride-on toy with both feet together or alternating
Tries to kick a ball but may miss or kick a side of the ball
Skills combined into Reach/Grasp/Release
Release: Releases objects according to size and shape of container
Beginning to string large beads or put chips in a slot
Makes marks on paper with no organization
Experiments with vertical and horizontal straight lines-- alone, next to, or on top of other lines
Produces writing lines differently than drawing lines
Tries to pour from small container
“Dresses up” in large size clothes that are easier to get on
Moves toothbrush independently
Indicates need for toilet with words or actions, but often too late
Handles cup well with two hands
Easy lip closure; no loss of food or drink
Understands some pronouns (my/mine, you, me)
Understands some emotions words (happy, sad, mad)
Attempts to converse with jargon and real words
Directs conversation primarily to self and adults
Responds to “What is…” questions
Occasionally requests clarification (“huh?”)
Speech may be less than 50% intelligible to unfamiliar persons
Produces language to express refusal; “No” is common
Produces two-word phrases or telegraphic speech (words imply a whole sentence)
Omits grammatical markers, such as “a” or “the”
Produces two-word utterances; produces telegraphic speech, using only key words (e.g., “Car go”)
Points to pictures and says, “What’s that?”
Manipulates a variety of interactive books
“Reads” a book independently for several minutes
Shows empathy for characters or situations depicted in books
Makes associations across books
Notices print rather than just pictures in a book; may point to labels under pictures
Listens to songs and nursery rhymes and imitates words
Makes marks on paper with no organization
Experiments with vertical and horizontal straight lines-- alone, next to, or on top of other lines
Produces writing lines differently than drawing lines
Uses real and pretend objects together functionally
Attempts to tell about remembered experiences using words, jargon, and gestures
Remembers action sequences with objects
Play begins to reflect thoughts and feelings
Follows the lead of others, doing what they do or following their directions
Decides what to do by what will be approved or disapproved of by adults
Remembers short action sequences
Moves, shifts, and combines objects in different ways
Listens to music, sings and dances
Discriminates loud and soft sounds
Tries to imitate adult's drawing strokes, but without representational intent
Uses objects symbolically in dramatic play (pretends a block is food)
Constantly demands adult’s attention
Imitation and turn taking increases with peers
Knows where to put away toys in the home
Seeks play with siblings, peers, or other familiar persons
Play and toys may be gender stereotyped
Recognizes own clothing, toys, and personal belongings
Uses one-to-one correspondence when counting two objects
Looks at two sets of items with a large difference in amount and knows which has more
Nests 4 nesting blocks or bowls
Explores and identifies objects that are big/small, heavy/light, and tall/short, with assistance
Size: Nests objects (relates sizes)
Copies patterns using sounds or physical movements, with adult prompting and guidance
Makes collections of things that are alike in some way (toys with wheels)
Matches familiar objects (picks out socks from shirts)
Groups objects into two groups
Matches animal sounds to animals
With prompting and guidance, begins to slide, rotate, and flip objects to make them fit
Puts together two pieces to form a whole geometric figure
Knows locations (there, here) and puts things where they belong
 North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2015
©2015 by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.