As a parent, your top priority is making sure your little one grows up healthy and strong. The early years pass quickly, and as your child enters the toddler stage, you might find yourself amazed at how quickly they’re changing! It’s important to make sure toddlers are meeting their developmental milestones, especially as you consider whether they’re ready to start preschool.
Curious about developmental goals for preschoolers? Read on to learn more about preschool milestones for your three-year-old.
Developmental Goals for Preschoolers
According to the Centers for Disease Control, a developmental milestone is something most children can do by a certain age. By the age of three, your child is learning to do more things on their own, as well as interact with other children. As you evaluate your little one’s readiness for preschool, you’ll want to keep an eye out for a number of important preschool milestones. You know your child best, but as a rule of thumb, a child who has developed these skills by the age of three is developing properly and ready for preschool.
If your child hasn’t met these milestones just yet, it’s okay. Catching developmental delays early and getting the right attention, whether it’s from your child’s pediatrician or early childhood educators, will help get your little one back on the right track. There are many simple activities you can do at home to encourage your child’s growth and development.
Movement Milestones
For three-year-olds, movement goals include the development of both fine and gross motor skills. Your child will be:
- Able to dress themselves
- Able to grasp a crayon
- Able to use a fork
- Able to go upstairs and downstairs without assistance
- Able to gallop, skip, and hop
Cognitive Milestones
Three-year-olds never stop moving, and neither do their minds! Cognitive milestones at this age include:
- Engages in imaginative play
- Asks “who, what, when, where, and why” questions
- Knows some colors and shapes
- Knows that objects still exist when they’re out of sight
- Begins to develop a sense of time, i.e., understands the difference between night and day
Communication Milestones
As your child acquires a firmer grasp of language, they’ll be able to express themselves more effectively. Meeting communication and language goals means your child can:
- Tell stories
- Speak in three-word sentences
- Use age-appropriate language
- Use language that can mostly be understood by strangers
- Engage in simple conversations
By the time your child is three, they should be developing a greater sense of themselves, their feelings, and the world around them. When your child meets emotional developmental goals, they are:
- Able to play and share with others
- Interested in other children
- Able to follow directions and routines
- Able to self-soothe and deal with change
- Able to be away from parents
Lightbridge Academy: The Best Start for Your Preschooler
We are your partner in healthy childhood development. Our caring team of early childhood educators strive to create a learning environment where children feel safe, nurtured, and excited to learn! Our preschool programs have been designed to give your little one the skills they need to succeed in pre-k, kindergarten, and beyond.
Lightbridge Academy helps your little one meet all of their preschool milestones in reading, writing, science, and math and give children the room to explore and develop their emerging skills in each area. At the same time, we’re also teaching them invaluable social skills, like communicating effectively and working with other children. By nurturing the whole child, this approach fosters a lifetime love of learning, develops creativity, and establishes healthy habits.
With us, you’ll give your child the best chance at meeting their preschool milestones – and beyond! To learn more about our early childhood education programs, schedule a tour.
