26-month milestones (2 years 2 months): what is emerging next
26-month milestones: there is no CDC checklist for 26 months, so keep using the 24-month one (13 items), as CDC advises between two ages. The 30-month checklist is four months off, and this page lists its 15 items with an activity for a 26-month-old beside each.
Updated
CDC 24-month milestone checklist
At 26 months use the 24-month checklist (CDC: use the earlier checklist between ages); next checklist at 30 months.
Mark what you see in everyday play, not in a test. Your marks stay in this browser only.
13 items · none marked yet
Social and emotional
-
At 26 months, try Park Bench Feelings Watch (5–10 min, 26–36 months)
-
At 26 months, try Teddy's Doctor Check-Up (8–15 min, 24–34 months)
Language and communication
-
At 26 months, try Where's the Dog? Book Hunt (5–12 min, 18–30 months)
-
At 26 months, try Family Photo Action Talk (5–10 min, 24–34 months)
-
At 26 months, try Silly Sock Directions (5–10 min, 24–34 months)
-
At 26 months, try Bubble Wand Turns (5–12 min, 20–30 months)
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
-
At 26 months, try Bubble Jar Twist and Blow (5–10 min, 22–36 months)
-
At 26 months, try Ready-Set-Go Car Ramp (5–10 min, 16–26 months)
-
At 26 months, try Teddy's Fork Picnic (5–10 min, 20–36 months)
Movement and physical development
-
At 26 months, try Kick It Back to Me (5–10 min, 22–36 months)
-
At 26 months, try Ready-Set-Go Chalk Dash (5–12 min, 19–31 months)
-
At 26 months, try Climb the Stairs to Teddy (3–8 min, 15–30 months)
-
At 26 months, try Basin Spoon Scoop (5–15 min, 18–28 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.
26 months at a glance
| CDC checklist for 26 months | None (CDC's checklists in this range: 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36 months) |
|---|---|
| Checklist that applies now | 24 months (13 items), reached two months ago |
| Next checklist | 30 months (15 items), in four months |
| Where this month sits | In-between month 2 of 5 from 24 to 30 months |
| Library activities that fit 26 months | 156 (age band overlapping 24-29 months) |
| Skills building at 26 months | 57 of the 67 everyday skills on this site |
| Born early | No correction (it stops at 24 months) |
Which checklist applies at 26 months
Two months after the 24-month checklist and four before the 30-month one, a 26-month-old sits in the middle of a 5-month stretch with no CDC list of its own; CDC's rule is to keep using the earlier checklist, here the 24-month one.
The 30-month list has 15 items (3 social-emotional, 4 language, 4 cognitive and 4 movement). They are not expected at 26 months; they show what is emerging next. Thirteen of them have an activity below that fits this month.
30-month milestones to watch for at 26 months
Each 30-month item with an activity for a 26-month-old, and how the activity's age band relates to 26 months:
| By 30 months (CDC) | Area | Try at 26 months |
|---|---|---|
| Plays near other children and now and then joins in with them. | social-emotional | Tape Parking Lot for Two (new in its 25-33 mo band) |
| Shows you what they can do, calling out something like "Look at me!" | social-emotional | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Follows a simple routine when asked, such as helping pick up toys when you say it is clean-up time. | social-emotional | Brush and Hands Wash-Up (mid-band, 20-36 mo) |
| Uses around 50 words. | language | Shopping Cart Spotter (mid-band, 17-28 mo) |
| Strings two or more words together with one of them an action word, like "baby sleep". | language | Family Photo Action Talk (mid-band, 24-34 mo) |
| Tells you the name of a picture in a book when you point and ask what it is. | language | Mystery Tote Bag Guess (new in its 26-36 mo band) |
| Refers to themselves or a group with words like "I", "me" or "we". | language | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Lets one thing stand in for another in pretend play, like offering a block to a doll as if it were food. | cognitive | Teddy's Cardboard Box Car (late in its 17-27 mo band) |
| Solves simple problems, such as climbing onto a small stool to reach something. | cognitive | Which Hole Fits? (mid-band, 18-28 mo) |
| Follows a two-step instruction, like "Pick up your hat and put it on the chair." | cognitive | Silly Sock Directions (mid-band, 24-34 mo) |
| Shows they know at least one color, for example picking out the red crayon when you ask for red. | cognitive | Melting Color Ice Pucks (a stretch, band starts at 27 mo) |
| Twists things with their hands, such as turning a doorknob or unscrewing a lid. | movement | Nature Jar Lid Twist (mid-band, 22-32 mo) |
| Gets some clothes off alone, such as an open jacket or loose pants. | movement | Coat Flip on the Floor (new in its 26-36 mo band) |
| Jumps with both feet leaving the ground. | movement | Hoop Island Jump (mid-band, 24-34 mo) |
| Turns the pages of a book one by one as you read together. | movement | Paper-Page Picture Book Turns (new in its 26-36 mo band) |
Activities toward the 30-month milestones
13 activities picked for 26 months, by CDC area. In Melting Color Ice Pucks, for example, watch for this sign of progress: touches the ice and pulls back or says 'cold'.
Social-emotional at 26 months
Language at 26 months
Cognitive at 26 months
Movement at 26 months
Skills behind the 30-month list
What changes in the activity plan at 26 months
The family plan offers an activity from 3 months before its age band until 2 months after it. At 26 months, nineteen bands start right at 26 months:
- Band starts at 26 months: Sock Hang-Up on the Basket (26-36 mo), on laundry day, your child clips matching pairs of clean socks to the rim of the laundry basket with clothespins, like hanging washing to dry.
- Band starts at 26 months: Slow-Motion Animal Walk (26-36 mo), as a wind-down before a nap, bath or bed, the child copies slow animal walks such as a tiptoeing cat, a heavy elephant and a still flamingo, practicing balance and calm body control.
- Band starts at 26 months: Clothespin Clip on an Egg Carton (26-36 mo), your child squeezes spring clothespins open and clips them onto the edges of an egg carton, building pinch strength and finger control.
Skills commonly building at 26 months
57 everyday skills on this site have 26 months inside their age window. Six of them, with where 26 months falls and their usual timing:
- Cause and effect, late in its window (12-30 months): Trying to use switches, knobs or buttons on a toy is a CDC 24-month milestone.
- Naming things, mid-window (14-36 months): Trying at least three words besides "mama" or "dada" is a CDC 18-month milestone; saying about 50 words and naming pictures in a book are 30-month milestones; and saying what action is happening in a picture is a 36-month milestone.
- Squeezing and rolling, mid-window (14-36 months): Not a single CDC checklist item.
- Following one-step directions, consolidating (15-26 months): Following a one-step direction without any gestures is a CDC 18-month milestone.
- Knob puzzles, mid-window (15-36 months): Knob puzzles are not on the CDC checklists.
- Using a fork, mid-window (18-36 months): Using a fork is a CDC 36-month milestone.
When to talk to your pediatrician at 26 months
Talk to your pediatrician if a 26-month-old loses a skill they used to have, if 24-month items such as “runs, not only walks” or “reacts when someone is hurt or upset, for example stopping or looking sad when another person cries” are still missing at 26 months, or if anything else worries you. From 26 months, the next AAP-recommended check is a general developmental screening at 30 months (four months away).
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? No correction at 26 months
Correction stops at 24 months chronological (AAP: the first 2 years), and 26 months is two months past that point, so use the calendar age as it is: the 24-month checklist applies, whatever the weeks born early.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a 26-month-old talk?
CDC gives no list for 26 months. The 24-month checklist says: joins at least two words together, like "more juice" and uses gestures beyond waving and pointing, such as nodding for yes or blowing a kiss. By 30 months it adds: uses around 50 words and strings two or more words together with one of them an action word, like "baby sleep".
When is the next milestone checklist after 26 months?
At 30 months, in four months: CDC's 30-month checklist has 15 items (3 social-emotional, 4 language, 4 cognitive and 4 movement). Until then the 24-month list (13 items) applies.
What should a 26-month-old be doing?
Most children (75% or more) do the 13 items of the 24-month checklist by 24 months, such as: runs, not only walks and reacts when someone is hurt or upset, for example stopping or looking sad when another person cries. Emerging next, for the 30-month list: jumps with both feet leaving the ground and shows you what they can do, calling out something like "Look at me!".
Which activities help a 26-month-old toward the 30-month milestones?
This page picks 13 library activities that fit 26 months, one or two per 30-month item, for example Silly Sock Directions, Teddy's Cardboard Box Car and Mystery Tote Bag Guess. Short, playful repeats work better than drills.
What if my 26-month-old has not reached these milestones?
The 30-month items are not due at 26 months. If 24-month items are missing, if a skill is lost or if you are worried, talk to your pediatrician now. From 26 months, the next AAP-recommended check is a general developmental screening at 30 months (four months away). In the U.S. you can also call your state's Early Intervention program without a referral.
Related
Milestones month by month
Plan for 26 months
Born early
Skills building at 26 months
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.