By six months your child should be able to do most of the following:

• Roll from stomach to back and back to stomach
• Lift head and chest supporting weight on hands when on stomach
• Reach for a toy
• Transfer toy from one hand to another and touches hands together
• Hold head upright and steady without support
• Turn head toward sounds
• Vocalize lots of sounds to express both delight and displeasure
• Help hold bottle while drinking
• Chew and bites

• By twelve months your child should be able to do most of the following:

• Sit without support
• Crawl on all fours
• Pull to stand
• Understand the meaning of "no", "bye bye", and simple requests
• Repeat speech sounds (ba-ba, ga-ga)
• Communicate needs with motions and sounds
• Prefer people he knows and shy around others
• Feed self finger foods
• Begin using spoon in feeding
• Drink from cup with help

By two years your child should be able to do most of the following:

• Walk up and down stairs with help
• Scribble with a crayon
• Build a tower of 4 to 6 blocks
• Take off socks and shoes
• Say a few two word phrases ("Daddy gone", "more juice")
• Show body parts when asked (eyes, nose, foot, etc.)
• Look at story book with an adult
• Recognize self in mirror
• Drink well from a cup
• Feed self with a spoon with some spilling

By age three your child should be able to do most of the following:

• Walk on tiptoes and run well
• Kick and throw a ball
• Unwrap candy
• Turn pages of a book one at a time
• Understand two part directions ("Get the book and put it on the table")
• Speak in three word sentences
• Ask and answer lots of questions
• Engage in simple conversation
• Help adults with simple tasks when told (put away toys, clothes, etc.)
• Toilet trained
• Feed self with spoon and cup

By age four your child should be able to do most of the following:

• Walk up steps, one foot for each step
• Jump, run, throw, climb using good balance
• Unbutton buttons
• Draw up, down, around, and sideways by using a crayon
• Dress self
• Wash face and hands
• Imitate adults doing simple tasks
• Tell stories
• Speak in complete sentences
• Speech is easily understandable
• Enjoy picture books and being read to
• Enjoy playing with other children

By age five your child should be able to do most of the following:

• Hop and skip on one foot
• Catch a ball with his hands
• Brush his teeth
• Care for all toilet needs
• Recognize shapes
• Count to four
• Ask questions using "what, where, who, and why"
• Follow longer directions
• Use size and quantity words (eg., big, many)
• Say both first and last name

These are Baby's Fingers

These are Baby's fingers 
These are Baby's toes. 
This is Baby's belly button. 
Round and round it goes.

Creepy Mouse

Creepy mouse, 
Creepy mouse, 
All the way up 
(creep fingers up baby's arm) 
To Baby's house! 
(tickle neck)

Open, Shut Them

Open, shut them. 
Open, shut them.  Give a little clap, clap, clap. 
Open, shut them. 
Open, shut them. 
Put them in your lap, lap, lap. 
Creep them, creep them. 
Right up to your chin. 
Cover your little mouth and do not let them in. 
(Do all motions with hands)

Up to the ceiling

Up to the ceiling, down to the floor. 
Left to the window, right to the door. 
This is my right hand, raise it up high. 
This is my left hand, reach for the sky. 
Right hand, left hand, twirl them around. 
Left hand, right hand, pound, pound, pound.

Edible Aquariums

To make an edible aquarium, add a few drops of blue food coloring to a container of softened cream cheese.  Spread some of the cream cheese atop a piece of melba toast; then press on a few tiny goldfish crackers.

Play Dough

1 cup flour                1 cup water 
1/2 cup salt               1 tsp. vegetable oil 
2 tsp. cream of tarter    food coloring 

Mix dry ingredients and add the remaining ingredients and stir.  In a heavy skillet, cook the mixture for two to three minutes stirring frequently.  Knead the dough until it becomes soft and smooth.

Soap Flakes Finger paint

1 1/2 cups dry laundry starch 
water 
1 1/2 cups soap flakes 
food coloring or paint 
1 quart boiling water 
Mix starch with enough cold water to make a paste.  Add boiling water and stir until clear. 
Cool and add soap flakes and coloring.

Nutty Putty

Kids love to play with this and eat it! 
3 1/2 cups peanut butter 
4 cups powdered sugar 
3 1/2 cups corn syrup or honey 
4 cups powered milk 
Mix the ingredients.  Divide into 15 to 20 portions and refrigerate in plastic bags.  Children can then play with it, add chocolate chips for play if desired and eat it too!

Dr. Jean - Songs and Activities for Young Children