12-month milestones: the CDC checklist, with activities for each one
12-month milestones, per CDC's checklist: 10 things most children (75% or more) do by 12 months, across four areas (1 social-emotional, 3 language, 2 cognitive and 4 movement). Use them to monitor, not to screen; below, each item lists the skills it relates to and activities that practise it.
Updated
CDC 12-month milestone checklist
Mark what you see in everyday play, not in a test. Your marks stay in this browser only.
10 items · none marked yet
Social and emotional
-
At 12 months, try Tube Talk Echo Sounds (3–6 min, 12–20 months)
Language and communication
-
At 12 months, try Clear Tub Ask for Help (3–8 min, 14–22 months)
-
At 12 months, try Photo Wall Flap Hunt (5–10 min, 13–22 months)
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
-
At 12 months, try One Sock Ball per Cup (5–10 min, 13–22 months)
-
At 12 months, try Tissue Box Scarf Pull and Stuff (3–8 min, 12–18 months)
Movement and physical development
-
At 12 months, try Walk-to-Me Hallway Steps (3–8 min, 12–16 months)
-
At 12 months, try Squat-and-Collect Bucket Walk (5–10 min, 13–20 months)
-
At 12 months, try Two-Hands Open Cup Sip (2–5 min, 12–20 months)
-
At 12 months, try Two-Choice Snack Pick (5–10 min, 12–18 months)
A checklist is monitoring, not a screening test. If your child loses a skill they had, or something worries you, talk to your pediatrician; in the U.S. you can also contact your state's Early Intervention program directly, no referral needed.
The 12-month checklist at a glance
| Checklist | CDC “By 12 months”, paraphrased (source: CDC milestone checklists by age) |
|---|---|
| Items | 10: 1 social-emotional, 3 language, 2 cognitive and 4 movement |
| Library activities that practise them | 32 that fit 12 months (9 skills involved) |
| Previous checklist | None in this site’s 12-36 month range |
| Next checklist | 15 months, three months later (13 items) |
| AAP screening | The next AAP-recommended checks are a general developmental and an autism screening, both at the 18-month visit, six months after 12 months. |
| Born early | Use corrected age: born 8 weeks early, this list applies from 12 months and 8 weeks |
Language and communication milestones by 12 months
Three of the 10 items, built on gestures and signs and first words. Two have a library activity that fits 12 months.
| Milestone | Skills it relates to | Activities that practise it |
|---|---|---|
| Waves to say goodbye. | Gestures and signs | Snack Signs: More and All Done (13-22 mo); Goodbye Wave at the Window (12-24 mo); Two-Choice Snack Pick (12-18 mo) |
| Uses "mama", "dada" or another special name for a parent. | First words | Sock Puppet Hello (12-20 mo); Window Watch Talk (12-24 mo); Photo Wall Flap Hunt (13-22 mo) |
| Understands "no": stops or pauses for a moment when you say it. | Everyday behavior (no single skill) | Watch for it in daily life |
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving) milestones by 12 months
Two of the 10 items, built on posting objects and finding hidden objects. Every one has a library activity that fits 12 months.
| Milestone | Skills it relates to | Activities that practise it |
|---|---|---|
| Drops an object into a container, like a block into a cup. | Posting objects | Tissue Box Scarf Pull and Stuff (12-18 mo); Lid Slot Posting Tub (13-22 mo); One Sock Ball per Cup (13-22 mo) |
| Searches for a toy after watching you hide it, for example under a blanket. | Finding hidden objects | Colander Cage Peekaboo (12-17 mo); Two Lumps Under the Blanket (14-22 mo); Towel Roll Surprise (13-20 mo) |
Movement and physical development milestones by 12 months
Four of the 10 items, built on walking on their own, drinking from an open cup and finger feeding. Every one has a library activity that fits 12 months.
| Milestone | Skills it relates to | Activities that practise it |
|---|---|---|
| Pulls up to a standing position. | Walking on their own | Walk-to-Me Hallway Steps (12-16 mo); Towel Speed-Bump Walk (14-22 mo); Push-the-Box Train (12-20 mo) |
| Walks along while holding on to furniture. | Walking on their own | Squat-and-Collect Bucket Walk (13-20 mo); Sticky Note Peel-and-Collect (15-24 mo); Walk-to-Me Hallway Steps (12-16 mo) |
| Sips from a cup with no lid while you hold it. | Drinking from an open cup | Two-Hands Open Cup Sip (12-20 mo) |
| Pinches small things, such as bits of food, between thumb and pointer finger. | Finger feeding | Ice Tray Snack Picking (12-18 mo); Blanket Picnic Finger Lunch (12-22 mo); One for You, One for Me Snack (15-27 mo) |
Activities for the 12-month milestones
24 activities from the library, picked for these 10 items and for 12 months. One item has no matching activity: understands "no": stops or pauses for a moment when you say it.
Social-emotional practice
Language practice
Cognitive practice
Movement practice
What you can do at 12 months
Everyday ideas in the spirit of CDC's “what you can do” tips for the 12-month checklist:
- Narrate everyday care as it happens ("Now we wash your hands") so words arrive attached to real actions.
- When your child babbles or tries a word, answer as if it were their turn in a conversation and add the real word: "ba" becomes "Yes, ball!"
- Point at what you name and use simple gestures such as waving or signing "all done", so your child has ways to communicate before words.
- Share a sturdy board book every day; let your child hold it, turn the pages and point while you name the pictures.
- Play peekaboo and hide a toy under a cloth while your child watches, so finding things that disappear becomes a game.
- Offer cups, blocks and containers to drop things into and tip out again.
- Keep sleep and meals in a predictable order each day, and keep screens to video calls with family.
- Show the behavior you want and notice it warmly when it happens, instead of only reacting to what you do not want.
Before 12 months
12 months is the first checklist in this site's 12-36 month range; CDC also publishes checklists for younger babies. Most of the 10 items here are the first-year skills a toddler builds on: joins in simple games with you, such as clapping rhymes, waves to say goodbye and uses "mama", "dada" or another special name for a parent.
How these milestones grow by 15 months
Three items on this list share a skill with an item on the 15-month checklist, three months later:
- By 12 months: uses "mama", "dada" or another special name for a parent. By 15 months: attempts one or two words besides "mama" or "dada", even partial ones like "wa" for water.
- By 12 months: pulls up to a standing position. By 15 months: takes a few steps without holding on.
- By 12 months: pinches small things, such as bits of food, between thumb and pointer finger. By 15 months: feeds themselves some food with their fingers.
When to talk to your pediatrician at 12 months
Talk to your pediatrician if a 12-month-old loses a skill they used to have, if 12-month items such as “pinches small things, such as bits of food, between thumb and pointer finger” or “uses "mama", "dada" or another special name for a parent” are still missing around this age, or if anything else worries you. The next AAP-recommended checks are a general developmental and an autism screening, both at the 18-month visit, six months after 12 months.
CDC milestones are things most children (75% or more) can do by that age; the checklists are for monitoring and are not a standardized screening tool. In the U.S. you can contact your state's Early Intervention program for children under 3 yourself; no doctor's referral is needed.
Born early? Corrected age at 12 months
CDC suggests using corrected age (age minus the weeks born early) for a child born more than 3 weeks early, and the AAP advises it for the first 2 years. At 12 months by the calendar, that changes which checklist fits:
| Born | Corrected age at 12 mo | Checklist to use | 12-month list from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks early | 11 mo | an earlier CDC list | 12 mo + 4 wk (about 12.9 mo) |
| 8 weeks early | 10 mo 1 wk | an earlier CDC list | 12 mo + 8 wk (about 13.8 mo) |
| 12 weeks early | 9 mo 1 wk | an earlier CDC list | 12 mo + 12 wk (about 14.8 mo) |
| 16 weeks early | 8 mo 1 wk | an earlier CDC list | 12 mo + 16 wk (about 15.7 mo) |
Frequently asked questions
What are the 12-month milestones?
CDC's 12-month checklist has 10 items: 1 social-emotional, 3 language, 2 cognitive and 4 movement. Examples: joins in simple games with you, such as clapping rhymes, understands "no": stops or pauses for a moment when you say it and pulls up to a standing position. Most children (75% or more) do these by 12 months.
How much should a 12-month-old talk?
The 12-month checklist says: waves to say goodbye and uses "mama", "dada" or another special name for a parent. Those are the talking items on the checklist; by 15 months it lists: attempts one or two words besides "mama" or "dada", even partial ones like "wa" for water.
What if my child has not reached the 12-month milestones?
Talk to your pediatrician if items are missing, if your child loses a skill or if you are worried; you do not have to wait. The next AAP-recommended checks are a general developmental and an autism screening, both at the 18-month visit, six months after 12 months. In the U.S. you can also contact your state's Early Intervention program directly, without a referral.
Is the 12-month checklist a screening test?
No. The CDC checklist is for monitoring: it lists what most children do by 12 months. The AAP recommends developmental screening at 9, 18 and 30 months and autism screening at 18 and 24 months.
My 12-month-old was born early: which age do I use?
Use corrected age until 24 months if your child was born more than 3 weeks early (CDC; the AAP advises corrected age for the first 2 years). For example, a child born 8 weeks early is about 10 months, 1 week corrected at 12 months, so an earlier CDC checklist applies.
Related
Milestones month by month
Plan for 12 months
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.
Social-emotional milestones by 12 months
One of the 10 items, built on action songs and taking turns. Every one has a library activity that fits 12 months.