Developmental Guidelines: What Most Babies Do at 36 Months

Social and Emotional

• Copies adults and friends
• Shows affection for friends without prompting
• Takes turns in games
• Shows concern for crying friend
• Understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”
• Shows a wide range of emotions
• Separates easily from mom and dad

Language/Communication

• Follows instructions with 2 or 3 steps
• Can name most familiar things
• Understands words like “in”, “on”, and “under”
• Says “I”, “me”, “we”, “you” and some plurals (cars, dogs, cats)
• Talks well enough for strangers to understand most of the time

Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving)

• Can work toys with buttons, levers and moving parts
• Plays make-believe with dolls, animals and people
• Does puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces
• Understands what “two” means
• Copies a circle with pencil or crayon
• Turns book pages one at a time
• Builds towers of more than 6 blocks
• Screws and unscrews jar lids or turns door handle

Movement/Physical Development

• Climbs well
• Runs easily
• Pedals a tricycle (3 wheel bike)
• Walks up and down stairs, one foot on each step

Red Flags For 36 Month Old Babies

• Drools or has very unclear speech
• Can’t work simple toys (such as peg boards, simple puzzles, turning handle)
• Doesn’t speak in sentences
• Doesn’t play pretend or make-believe
• Doesn’t understand simple instructions
• Doesn’t want to play with other children or with toys
• Doesn’t make eye contact
• Loses skills he once had

Have a question? Want to learn more? Leave a comment at the bottom of this blog or email reachforthestars@achievebeyondusa.com and we will do our best to follow up with you.

About Achieve Beyond

Achieve Beyond is an agency founded by Dr. Trudy Font-Padron in 1995 and remains a family-run company. Achieve Beyond is a leader in providing pediatric therapy, autism, and early intervention services in New York City, Long Island, Hudson Valley, Texas, New Jersey, Virginia and Metro DC. They are dedicated to providing quality evaluations and therapeutic/educational services to children ages birth to 21 years of age.