Discover the 22 milestones your 17 month old should master in the next couple of weeks.

Let's explore what your child should achieve by the time they are 17-months old.

At the age of 17 months, your child is likely to have achieved several milestones, and you can expect more development in gross motor and fine motor skills. Your child is still developing various milestones in communication, including pointing out their needs, using more than five words, and improving their social-emotional and cognitive behavior. They can start expressing their needs and becoming more independent. The indulgence of parents in their toddler activities is crucial; they need their support and attention.

Why your Child's Milestones Matter?

By 17 months, your toddler will be developing their motor skills—walking independently, scribbling, pointing, trying to be more independent, developing their pencil-holding grasp, and showing signs of independence and parental support. Inquisitiveness is a hallmark of early child development. It is essential to track your kids' milestones to support their cognitive development, physical abilities, and socio-emotional development, as well as their overall well-being.

Child's Milestone at the age of 17 Months: Expectations

Motor Skills

Gross motor skills are a crucial factor in your child's significant muscle development, particularly in the legs, which enable them to walk, run, and participate in various physical activities. [1.] When your child reaches these milestones between 15 and 17 months, they should be able to kick a ball, crawl upstairs with their hands, and walk independently. During this stage, a child tends to become more independent, walking without anyone's assistance, and starts gaining better control over their overall body balance, along with improved physical activities. The fine motor skills of a child involve the movement of hands, such as scribbling on paper, which marks the beginning of their first writing experience, stacking toys, and turning pages. [2.]

Purpose of Pointing in Communication.

As children grow, they learn to point to objects "to share interest/inform about something,  or to obtain a desired object." [3.] "A pointing gesture is among the first conventional communicative means to emerge early in a child’s development and often before the use of first words. Indeed, first pointing gestures can be observed between the ages of 9 and 12 months." [4.] Pointing with the index finger (as opposed to pointing with the whole hand) is a more advanced form of communication because it is accompanied by vocal sounds demonstrating intentional communication. Children who point with their index finger have better academic outcomes than children who point using their whole hand.

Children who are 17 months old should have a vocabulary of 8-10 words that others can understand. Additionally, they can understand and name 2-3 body parts. Your child's communication foundation will continue to develop over the next couple of months.

Social and Emotional Development

At this age, toddlers are learning to be independent; wanting to do things by themselves and their own way. However, they still need the presence and care of their parents, along with love and affection. You may see your child developing empathy by crying when other children around them cry. These skills demonstrate that your child is becoming more confident and emotionally aware.

Cognitive Development and Sensory Development

Your child is beginning to understand images by looking closely at pictures, looking at them upside down, and engaging with tracking toys, which help develop their observational and cognitive problem-solving skills.

Work Cited

1. Cava, Paula, et al. “Children’s Developmental Milestones: Gross and Fine Motor Skills | Brown University Health.” Brown University Health, 20 Dec. 2022, www.brownhealth.org/be-well/childrens-developmental-milestones-gross-and-fine-motor-skills.

2. Nebraska Early Development Network. “Developmental Milestones - 13 through 18 Months | Nebraska Early Development Network.” Edn.ne.gov, edn.ne.gov/cms/developmental-milestones-13-through-18-months.

3. Ramos-Cabo, Sara et al. “Different Ways of Making a Point: A Study of Gestural Communication in Typical and Atypical Early Development.” Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research vol. 14,5 (2021): 984-996. doi:10.1002/aur.2438

4. Rohlfing, Katharina J et al. “Developmental Paths of Pointing for Various Motives in Infants with and without Language Delay.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 19,9 4982. 20 Apr. 2022, doi:10.3390/ijerph19094982

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How many of the 22 milestones has your 17 month old mastered?

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