List of Skills by Age
1-2 Months
2-4 Months
4-6 Months
Differentiates self and adult in mirror by looking and patting
6-8 Months
Cries if adult leaves or stranger appears
8-10 Months
Demonstrates separation distress and stranger anxiety
10-12 Months
Moves away from adult, but maintains eye contact
12-15 Months
Resists control, says, “No.” ”Don’t”; throws temper tantrum to get own way; moves away from adult
15-18 Months
Separation anxiety peaks; vocalizes to an adult from a distance
18-21 Months
Pushes for autonomy and exploration of environment, but still needs to stay in touch with adult
21-24 Months
Alternates between clinging and resistance to familiar adult
24-27 Months
Demonstrates anger or excitement at adult separation and/or upon reunion after separation
27-30 Months
Resists help; desires to do things independently, such as dressing, eating, etc.
30-33 Months
Separation may still be stressful, calms with reassurance and distractions
33-36 Months
Dramatic play may reflect separation or conflicts with adult (punishment of doll)
36-42 Months
Adjusts to separation through interactions with others
42-48 Months
Demonstrates little separation distress
May argue with adult about what he is supposed to do
48-54 Months
Becomes demanding and resists doing chores
54-60 Months
Completely independent in self-care; wants to choose all clothing and activities
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/.