36-month milestones (3 years): the CDC checklist, with activities for each one
36-month milestones, per CDC's checklist: 12 things most children (75% or more) do by 36 months (3 years), across four areas (2 social-emotional, 5 language, 2 cognitive and 3 movement). Use them to monitor, not to screen; below, each item lists the skills it relates to and activities that practise it.
Updated
CDC 36-month milestone checklist
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Social and emotional
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At 36 months, try Slow Bubble Breathing (3–6 min, 30–36 months)
Language and communication
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At 36 months, try Bedtime Day Recap (3–8 min, 28–36 months)
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At 36 months, try Mystery Tote Bag Guess (5–10 min, 26–36 months)
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At 36 months, try Tissue Box Mystery Feel (5–10 min, 30–36 months)
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
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At 36 months, try Trace Around the Lid (5–12 min, 26–36 months)
Movement and physical development
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At 36 months, try Coat Flip on the Floor (3–8 min, 26–36 months)
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At 36 months, try Teddy's Fork Picnic (5–10 min, 20–36 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.
The 36-month checklist at a glance
| Checklist | CDC “By 36 months”, paraphrased (source: CDC milestone checklists by age) |
|---|---|
| Items | 12: 2 social-emotional, 5 language, 2 cognitive and 3 movement |
| Library activities that practise them | 18 that fit 36 months (8 skills involved) |
| Previous checklist | 30 months, six months earlier (15 items) |
| Next checklist | None in this site’s range: 36 months is the last checklist covered here |
| AAP screening | The AAP screening ages (developmental at 9, 18 and 30 months, autism at 18 and 24 months) are all behind a 36-month-old, so raise a worry at a regular visit or with a call, without waiting for a set date. |
| Born early | No correction at 36 months (it stops at 24) |
Language and communication milestones by 36 months
Five of the 12 items, built on conversation turns, asking questions and naming things. Three have a library activity that fits 36 months.
| Milestone | Skills it relates to | Activities that practise it |
|---|---|---|
| Keeps a conversation with you going for at least two back-and-forth exchanges. | Conversation turns | Toy Car Trip Story (30-36 mo); Bedtime Day Recap (28-36 mo); Mystery Tote Bag Guess (26-36 mo) |
| Asks "who", "what", "where" or "why" questions, such as asking where a parent is. | Asking questions | Knock-Knock Box House (27-36 mo); Mystery Tote Bag Guess (26-36 mo); Toy Car Trip Story (30-36 mo) |
| Tells you what is happening in a picture or book when asked, such as "eating" or "running". | Naming things | Tissue Box Mystery Feel (30-36 mo); Crayon Leaf Rubbings (24-36 mo); Paper-Page Picture Book Turns (26-36 mo) |
| Tells you their first name when you ask. | Everyday behavior (no single skill) | Watch for it in daily life |
| Speaks clearly enough that other people understand them most of the time. | Everyday behavior (no single skill) | Watch for it in daily life |
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving) milestones by 36 months
Two of the 12 items, built on scribbling and early drawing. One has a library activity that fits 36 months.
| Milestone | Skills it relates to | Activities that practise it |
|---|---|---|
| Copies a circle on paper after watching you draw one. | Scribbling and early drawing | Trace Around the Lid (26-36 mo); Copy My Crayon Line (24-34 mo); Chalk Lines and Water Brush (28-36 mo) |
| Keeps away from hot things, like a stove, when you warn them. | Everyday behavior (no single skill) | Watch for it in daily life |
Movement and physical development milestones by 36 months
Three of the 12 items, built on helping with dressing and using a fork. Two have a library activity that fits 36 months.
| Milestone | Skills it relates to | Activities that practise it |
|---|---|---|
| Threads things onto a string, such as large beads or pasta tubes. | Everyday behavior (no single skill) | Watch for it in daily life |
| Dresses in some clothes without help, such as a jacket or loose pants. | Helping with dressing | Coat Flip on the Floor (26-36 mo) |
| Eats with a fork. | Using a fork | Teddy's Fork Picnic (20-36 mo); Fork or Spoon? Dinner Choice (28-36 mo) |
Activities for the 36-month milestones
16 activities from the library, picked for these 12 items and for 36 months. Four items have no matching activity: tells you their first name when you ask, speaks clearly enough that other people understand them most of the time, keeps away from hot things, like a stove, when you warn them and threads things onto a string, such as large beads or pasta tubes.
Social-emotional practice
Language practice
Cognitive practice
Movement practice
What you can do at 36 months
Everyday ideas in the spirit of CDC's “what you can do” tips for the 36-month checklist:
- Talk about the day in back-and-forth turns, ask "What happened next?" and wait for the answer.
- Answer "why" questions simply, and sometimes ask your child what they think first.
- Let your child try small problems, like a stuck zipper or a tricky puzzle piece, before you step in.
- Talk about feelings and simple ways to cope, such as a slow breath or asking for a hug.
- Count real things together, like stairs, spoons or apples, during ordinary tasks.
- Invite your child to help prepare meals, for example washing vegetables or stirring a bowl.
- Keep a few simple, consistent rules and explain each one in a sentence.
- Plan regular time with other children so your child can practice joining in.
What changed since 30 months
The 30-month checklist had 15 items and the 36-month one has 12: social-emotional goes from three to two, language goes from four to five, cognitive goes from four to two and movement goes from four to three. Skills that appear on a checklist for the first time at 36 months: calming with help, conversation turns, asking questions and using a fork.
How the 30-month milestones grew into these
Three items here continue a skill from the 30-month checklist:
- By 30 months: plays near other children and now and then joins in with them. By 36 months: spots other children playing and goes over to join them.
- By 30 months: uses around 50 words. By 36 months: tells you what is happening in a picture or book when asked, such as "eating" or "running".
- By 30 months: gets some clothes off alone, such as an open jacket or loose pants. By 36 months: dresses in some clothes without help, such as a jacket or loose pants.
When to talk to your pediatrician at 36 months
Talk to your pediatrician if a 36-month-old loses a skill they used to have, if 36-month items such as “spots other children playing and goes over to join them” or “tells you what is happening in a picture or book when asked, such as "eating" or "running"” are still missing around this age, 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 36-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 36 months
Correction stops at 24 months chronological (AAP: the first 2 years), and 36 months is twelve months past that point, so use the calendar age as it is: the 36-month checklist applies, whatever the weeks born early.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 36-month milestones?
CDC's 36-month checklist has 12 items: 2 social-emotional, 5 language, 2 cognitive and 3 movement. Examples: keeps a conversation with you going for at least two back-and-forth exchanges, tells you their first name when you ask and keeps away from hot things, like a stove, when you warn them. Most children (75% or more) do these by 36 months.
How much should a 36-month-old talk?
The 36-month checklist says: keeps a conversation with you going for at least two back-and-forth exchanges, asks "who", "what", "where" or "why" questions, such as asking where a parent is, tells you what is happening in a picture or book when asked, such as "eating" or "running", tells you their first name when you ask and speaks clearly enough that other people understand them most of the time. Those are the talking items on the checklist.
What if my child has not reached the 36-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 AAP screening ages (developmental at 9, 18 and 30 months, autism at 18 and 24 months) are all behind a 36-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 contact your state's Early Intervention program directly, without a referral.
Is the 36-month checklist a screening test?
No. The CDC checklist is for monitoring: it lists what most children do by 36 months. The AAP recommends developmental screening at 9, 18 and 30 months and autism screening at 18 and 24 months.
Related
Milestones month by month
Plan for 36 months
Born early
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.
Social-emotional milestones by 36 months
Two of the 12 items, built on calming with help and playing alongside others. Every one has a library activity that fits 36 months.