Explore your baby’s 8 important developmental milestones in gross and fine motor skills, communication, cognitive growth and social-emotional development.

By 34 months, children show significant progress in both gross and fine motor skills, becoming more independent. They can push an adult-sized chair to a table and climb onto it to sit.[1.] You will also observe improvements in their cognitive skills, which help them understand that they can complete tasks independently. [2.] Additionally, you’ll see their understanding of rules, such as not running in the kitchen, indicating development in social and emotional maturity. Their communication skills are advancing, especially in tense usage and verb forms. [3.]

Is your baby up for the challenge?

At this age, your child has become more independent, both physically and mentally. You should notice that their memory is improving, as they can recognize their friend's name. They will begin using past tenses, indicating significant progress in communication and demonstrating that they can recall an event that happened in the past and talk about it. Moreover, they are showing more respect for rules, such as not running in the kitchen, demonstrating social-emotional growth.

Why does this month matter?

The progress of your child this month is crucial, as it reflects improved cognitive ability and independence across gross motor, fine motor, and emotional maturity, which make them more patient, respectful of instructions, and calmer during procedures such as haircuts.

Gross Motor Skills 

Gross motor skills enable children to engage in activities involving large muscle groups, and gross motor development is vital for improving balance and coordination. [1.] At 34 months of age, your child should be able to push an adult-sized chair and climb onto it to sit, and can maintain balance when accidentally bumped. [2.]

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills involve small muscle groups, such as hand, wrist, and finger movements, and require coordination, strength, and awareness. [1.] It is essential that a child actively develop fine motor skills, and by 34 months, you should observe progress toward greater independence, such as attempting to pull pants down without help most of the time and being able to put on socks with some help, with the heel oriented correctly.[3.]

Cognitive Development

As your child develops their fine motor skills through independent activities, this also supports cognitive development. At this age, your child's mental development enables them to be more independent as they realize that they can do things on their own. [1.]

Social-Emotional Development

By this age, your child has an improved understanding of simple rules like not running in the kitchen, and they're beginning to calm themselves during a haircut. This demonstrates emotional maturity, and understanding specific rules makes them more diligent in adhering to them as part of their social development. 

Communication

By 34 months old, your child’s communication skills are developing, including the use of past tenses, such as “adding a 'd’ sound to verbs (like “runned”) and forming plurals by adding an 's' sound to nouns (like “mans”).” [4.] According to the Thought Co. Article "What is overgeneralization? Definition and Examples," it is a process known as overgeneralization, which shows that the child understands basic grammatical patterns but has not yet learned all the exceptions. Rather than memorizing each word individually, children actively test language rules as they develop communication skills. This growing awareness of grammar indicates that the child is thinking more intentionally about how language functions to communicate meaning. [5.] At the same time, your child’s memory is improving, allowing them to recall familiar information, such as a friend’s name, which supports more complex conversations and social interactions. This indicates that the child is becoming more aware of basic grammatical rules to communicate. Your child's memory is becoming sharper, for example, in recalling a friend's name.

Your child’s development across all areas, including gross and fine motor skills, cognitive abilities, social-emotional growth, and communication skills, allows them to become more independent and to understand their surroundings with greater confidence as they follow simple rules, remember names, and use tenses to communicate. They are laying a foundation for the future that encourages self-reliance. Paying attention to these milestones not only supports their progress but also enables you to celebrate the amazing steps they take each day.

Work Cited

1. EARLY LEARNING GUIDELINES: A Child Development Resource for Educators of Children Ages Birth through Eight New York Works for Building Knowledge, Building Careers, Building Futures. www. ccf.ny.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ELG-2020-1.pdf

   
   

2. Steven, et al. Milestone Moments. 2021, www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/milestonemomentseng508.pdf.

   
   

3. Developmental Milestones: Dressing Skills. choc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Rehab-Developmental-dressing-skills.pdf.

   
   

4. “Your Child’s Talking Timeline | BabyCenter.” BabyCenter, www.babycenter.com/baby/baby-development/your-childs-talking-timeline_10356902.

5. https://www.facebook.com/thoughtcodotcom. “Overgeneralization in English Grammar.” ThoughtCo, 2019, www.thoughtco.com/overgeneralization-in-grammar-1691365.

   
   

How many of the 8 Milestones has your 34-month-old mastered?

As your child continues to grow, it is essential to track their milestones during early childhood proactively. Every child develops at their own pace, and parental support can help foster skills such as managing emotions, effective communication, and gross and fine motor skills. Fledglings' Flight facilitates this process by providing age-specific milestone information, which allows parents to monitor progress, identify and address challenges early, and celebrate their child's achievements. Using these helpful tools sets a strong foundation for your child's lifelong learning and independence, making the journey beneficial for everyone involved.

With a Basic Membership for only $2 a month, you’ll gain access to an easy way to track all 812 developmental milestones your child is expected to reach from birth to age 4. You can keep a clear picture of their progress, spot what’s coming next, and enjoy celebrating every new achievement together.

Create a free account with Fledglings' Flight and get access to 4820 screen-free, play-based exercises. That is 100-200 exercises each month that you can start doing with your baby from the day that they are born to help them develop into the best version of themselves. In addition, your free account provides access to more than 1,200 articles on child development, keeping you informed as you navigate your child's developmental journey.