What a toddler of 18-36 months should be able to do
By 15 -18 months most toddlers have acquired the ability to walk, run, negotiate obstacles and clamber and climb up onto raised surfaces at a basic level of control. Over time, with practice and experience, typically developing toddlers improve their ability to adapt these basic abilities to meet the demands of different contexts and goals.
Here I provide a list of all the basic motor locomotor abilities, sometimes referred to as fundamental motor patterns, that toddlers should acquire between 18 months and 3 years of age.
Subscribers can download the Toddler Gross Motor Activities Checklist here
Standing balance and stability
Stands easily and independently with feet hip width apart
► Can look to the side and behind. This action requires good standing balance as the LEs and feet have to adapt to the twisting action of the head and trunk.
Reaches down to pick up toys from the floor
Can maintain a half squat position with ease.
Can stand, hold and maneuver a large object
► Lifting and moving large and heavy objects requires effective anticipatory postural adjustments to stabilize the head and trunk, and realignment of the trunk and limbs to maintain balance.
Can lift a ball and throw it from above the head
Maintains balance, may take a small step.
Stands on a raised surface with confidence
Low stool, bathroom step, low plank bridge, kitchen chair, bed.
Standing on a high surface is important for developing tolerance of heights and balance when standing on a raised surface.
Toddlers also need to learn to judge whether they can step down from different heights.
Walking
Walks on an even surface with confidence
Does not fall or trip easily.
Looks ahead, avoids obstacles, notices changes in surface, slope.
Walks across an uneven surface
Out of doors, on grass, on an uneven path.
- Looks ahead to plan steps.
- Foot placement is adapted to suit the irregular surface.
- Ankle muscles must work to stabilize the foot.
- Falls occasionally, but not regularly.
Walks on a soft surface
Can walk across a mattress, over pillows large sofa cushions laid on the floor.
Walks up and down a 15-200 slope with confidence
- This requires good balance, especially walking downhill.
- Step size needs to be adjusted and the trunk needs to be slightly inclined to keep it balanced over the feet.
Walks on a 15-30 cm wide raised plank with confidence
Walking on a raised surface challenges the toddlers balance, because the drop-off on ether side changes the visual information the toddler uses for maintaining balance.
Walks across a raised plank carrying a ball or other large object.
Read more
Subscribers Walking over a bride: training ideas
Walks carrying large or heavy objects
Carrying large and heavy objects challenges a toddler's balance, trunk muscle strength and stability, as well limb strength.
It also requires careful use of visual information for planning actions.
Stepping up and over
Steps over a small obstacles laid end-to-end
Early walkers will usually first stop in front of the obstacles before stepping over.
With practice and walking experience, toddlers learn to walk or run and step over any small obstacles in their without first stopping.
Read more
For subscribers Stepping over obstacles: training ideas
Steps up onto a 10-20 cm high step
May initially need light touch hand support.
After some practice can step up without hand support onto increasingly higher steps.
Sometimes a high step will require a different strategy
Read more
Open access Stepping up: task analysis
Subscribers: Training stepping up
Steps down from a 10-20 cm high step
Initially with hand support, but with practice with no hand support (by 3 years of age).
Walks up stairs holding the stair rail or an adult hand
Walks down stairs holding the stair rail or an adult hand
Steps over a gap between low steps
Standing up, sitting down and squatting
Can stand up from a 10-15 cm high step
Read more
For subscribers Standing up and sitting down: progression and games
Can squat down and stand up again
Read more
Open access How young children stand up from sitting on the floor
Subscribers Squat, half squat and sitting down on the floor
Stands up from sitting on floor easily and quickly
Read more
Open access How young children stand up from sitting on the floor
Subscribers Squat, half squat and sitting down on the floor
Running
Runs easily on an even surface
Runs on uneven ground
Climbing and clambering
Clambers up onto a couch, bed or chair
Is able pull self up by pushing or pulling with the arms.
Climbs onto a dining room chair and turns around to sit
This requires good planning abilities and coordination between trunk and limbs.
Climbs up onto a low table or dinning room chair and stands up
Climbs onto the lowest rungs of the jungle gym
The ability to climb on a jungle gym with confidence takes practice. A child's abilities will depend on experience.
Slides down a small slide with confidence
Jumping
Jumps up off two feet
By the age of 2-3 years a toddler should be able to jump up off two feet and then land on two feet again.
Jumping up off two feet has two stages: bending the knees to prepare for jumping, then rapidly extending the legs and taking off.
Sometime after the second birthday one sees toddlers getting ready for a jump by bending the legs and then working hard at developing the coordinated between the hip, knee and ankle muscles needed for launching the body into space.
Read more:
Subscribers: Jumping up off two feet: analysis and training ideas
Jumps over a low obstacle with two foot take off (by 3 years)
Jumps down from a 20-30 cm high step
Read more:
Subscribers: Learning to jump down
Runs and jumps/leaps over a low obstacle
One foot take-off (by 3 years)
Ball skills
Catches a soccer sized ball with two hands
Throws a soccer sized ball with two hands
Kicks a soccer sized ball
Intercepts a rolled ball
Toddler Gross Motor Tasks Checklist Available to TOMT subscribers Subscribe here The TGMT Checklist is a list of all the basic motor tasks a toddler should master by the age of 2-3 years. The Checklist allows parents an overview of their toddlers' strengths and weaknesses, and identifies tasks that need to be practiced. Each task is briefly described, goals are identified and space is provided for recording progress towards achieving each goal. |
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