33-month milestones (2 years 9 months): what is emerging next
33-month milestones: there is no CDC checklist for 33 months, so keep using the 30-month one (15 items), as CDC advises between two ages. The 36-month checklist is three months off, and this page lists its 12 items with an activity for a 33-month-old beside each.
Updated
CDC 30-month milestone checklist
At 33 months use the 30-month checklist (CDC: use the earlier checklist between ages); next checklist at 36 months.
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Social and emotional
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At 33 months, try Tape Parking Lot for Two (10–15 min, 25–33 months)
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At 33 months, try Small-Pitcher Pour at Snack (3–8 min, 24–34 months)
Language and communication
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At 33 months, try Family Feelings Photo Cards (5–10 min, 24–34 months)
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At 33 months, try Cardboard Garage Parking Talk (5–15 min, 21–32 months)
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At 33 months, try Two-Hoop Nature Sort (8–15 min, 20–32 months)
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
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At 33 months, try Slow-Motion Animal Walk (3–8 min, 26–36 months)
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At 33 months, try Spoon, Sponge or Colander? (8–15 min, 28–36 months)
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At 33 months, try Silly Sock Directions (5–10 min, 24–34 months)
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At 33 months, try Clothespin-Knob Box Puzzle (5–10 min, 23–32 months)
Movement and physical development
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At 33 months, try Snack Tub Lid Twist (3–10 min, 20–34 months)
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At 33 months, try Coat Flip on the Floor (3–8 min, 26–36 months)
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At 33 months, try Hoop Island Jump (5–12 min, 24–34 months)
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At 33 months, try Paper-Page Picture Book Turns (5–10 min, 26–36 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.
33 months at a glance
| CDC checklist for 33 months | None (CDC's checklists in this range: 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36 months) |
|---|---|
| Checklist that applies now | 30 months (15 items), reached three months ago |
| Next checklist | 36 months (12 items), in three months |
| Where this month sits | In-between month 3 of 5 from 30 to 36 months |
| Library activities that fit 33 months | 82 (age band overlapping 31-36 months) |
| Skills building at 33 months | 40 of the 67 everyday skills on this site |
| Born early | No correction (it stops at 24 months) |
Which checklist applies at 33 months
Three months after the 30-month checklist and three before the 36-month one, a 33-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 30-month one.
The 36-month list has 12 items (2 social-emotional, 5 language, 2 cognitive and 3 movement). They are not expected at 33 months; they show what is emerging next. Eight of them have an activity below that fits this month.
36-month milestones to watch for at 33 months
Each 36-month item with an activity for a 33-month-old, and how the activity's age band relates to 33 months:
| By 36 months (CDC) | Area | Try at 33 months |
|---|---|---|
| Settles within about 10 minutes after you leave, for example at a childcare drop-off. | social-emotional | Cozy Cushion Calm Corner (mid-band, 24-36 mo) |
| Spots other children playing and goes over to join them. | social-emotional | Tape Parking Lot for Two (late in its 25-33 mo band) |
| Keeps a conversation with you going for at least two back-and-forth exchanges. | language | Bedtime Day Recap (mid-band, 28-36 mo) |
| Asks "who", "what", "where" or "why" questions, such as asking where a parent is. | language | Knock-Knock Box House (mid-band, 27-36 mo) |
| Tells you what is happening in a picture or book when asked, such as "eating" or "running". | language | Mystery Tote Bag Guess (mid-band, 26-36 mo) |
| Tells you their first name when you ask. | language | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Speaks clearly enough that other people understand them most of the time. | language | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Copies a circle on paper after watching you draw one. | cognitive | Copy My Crayon Line (late in its 24-34 mo band) |
| Keeps away from hot things, like a stove, when you warn them. | cognitive | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Threads things onto a string, such as large beads or pasta tubes. | movement | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Dresses in some clothes without help, such as a jacket or loose pants. | movement | Coat Flip on the Floor (mid-band, 26-36 mo) |
| Eats with a fork. | movement | Teddy's Fork Picnic (mid-band, 20-36 mo) |
Activities toward the 36-month milestones
8 activities picked for 33 months, by CDC area. In Cozy Cushion Calm Corner, for example, watch for this sign of progress: goes to the corner with you when upset.
Social-emotional at 33 months
Language at 33 months
Cognitive at 33 months
Movement at 33 months
Skills behind the 36-month list
What changes in the activity plan at 33 months
The family plan offers an activity from 3 months before its age band until 2 months after it. At 33 months, eighteen activities leave (band ended at 30 months):
- Leaves the plan: Finish-the-Song Pause, whose 18-30 mo band ended three months ago.
- Leaves the plan: Soft-Cube Fork Spearing, whose 20-30 mo band ended three months ago.
- Leaves the plan: Turn-to-Fit Slot Box, whose 16-30 mo band ended three months ago.
Skills commonly building at 33 months
40 everyday skills on this site have 33 months inside their age window. Six of them, with where 33 months falls and their usual timing:
- Scribbling and early drawing, late in its window (12-36 months): Many children scribble with a crayon by about 18 months (a CDC 18-month milestone).
- Household helping, late in its window (14-36 months): Copying you doing chores, like sweeping, is a CDC 18-month milestone.
- Building and constructing, late in its window (18-36 months): Building is not a separate CDC checklist item beyond stacking two small objects at 15 months.
- Counting, late in its window (18-36 months): Counting is not on the CDC checklists at these ages.
- Matching, late in its window (18-36 months): Matching is not a CDC checklist item.
- Size words, late in its window (18-36 months): Size words are not a CDC checklist item.
When to talk to your pediatrician at 33 months
Talk to your pediatrician if a 33-month-old loses a skill they used to have, if 30-month items such as “jumps with both feet leaving the ground” or “shows you what they can do, calling out something like "Look at me!"” are still missing at 33 months, or if anything else worries you. The AAP screening ages (developmental at 9, 18 and 30 months, autism at 18 and 24 months) are all behind a 33-month-old, so raise a worry at a regular visit or with a call, without waiting for a set date.
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 33 months
Correction stops at 24 months chronological (AAP: the first 2 years), and 33 months is nine months past that point, so use the calendar age as it is: the 30-month checklist applies, whatever the weeks born early.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a 33-month-old talk?
CDC gives no list for 33 months. The 30-month checklist says: uses around 50 words, strings two or more words together with one of them an action word, like "baby sleep", tells you the name of a picture in a book when you point and ask what it is and refers to themselves or a group with words like "I", "me" or "we". By 36 months it adds: keeps a conversation with you going for at least two back-and-forth exchanges and asks "who", "what", "where" or "why" questions, such as asking where a parent is.
Is there a CDC milestone checklist for 33 months?
No. In the 12-36 month range CDC has checklists at 12, 15, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months. At 33 months use the 30-month checklist (CDC: between two ages, use the earlier one); the 36-month checklist follows in three months.
What should a 33-month-old be doing?
Most children (75% or more) do the 15 items of the 30-month checklist by 30 months, such as: jumps with both feet leaving the ground and shows you what they can do, calling out something like "Look at me!". Emerging next, for the 36-month list: tells you what is happening in a picture or book when asked, such as "eating" or "running" and copies a circle on paper after watching you draw one.
Which activities help a 33-month-old toward the 36-month milestones?
This page picks 8 library activities that fit 33 months, one or two per 36-month item, for example Copy My Crayon Line, Mystery Tote Bag Guess and Cozy Cushion Calm Corner. Short, playful repeats work better than drills.
What if my 33-month-old has not reached these milestones?
The 36-month items are not due at 33 months. If 30-month items are missing, if a skill is lost or if you are worried, talk to your pediatrician now. The AAP screening ages (developmental at 9, 18 and 30 months, autism at 18 and 24 months) are all behind a 33-month-old, so raise a worry at a regular visit or with a call, without waiting for a set date. In the U.S. you can also call your state's Early Intervention program without a referral.
Related
Milestones month by month
Plan for 33 months
Born early
Skills building at 33 months
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.