10184 East I25 Frontage Road
Firestone, CO

Phone: (720) 378-6670
Fax: (720) 464-6077

Occupational Therapy Guidelines

Child's Age:
3 Months,  7 Months,  12 Months,  18 Months,  24 Months,
36 Months/3 years,  48 Months/4 years,  5 years,  6 years,  7 years


By 3 Months:

Social/Emotional

  • Begins to develop a smile
  • Imitates some movements and facial expressions

Gross Motor

  • Raises Head and chest when on tummy
  • Supports upper body with arms when on tummy
  • Pushes into surface when feet are placed on firm surface

Fine Motor

  • Opens and closes hands
  • Brings hand to mouth
  • Grasps rattles


By 7 Months:

Social/Emotional

  • Enjoys social interaction
  • Appears happy often

Gross Motor

  • Rolls front to back and back to front
  • Gets into sitting without assistance
  • Crawls forward on belly

Fine Motor

  • Reaches with one hand
  • Transfers object from hand to hand
  • Uses raking of the hand to grasp object
  • Finger-feeds self

Cognitive

  • Finds partially hidden object
  • Explores objects with hands and mouth


By 12 Months:

Social/Emotional

  • Shy with strangers
  • Shows preference for certain people and toys
  • Tests parent responses to behaviors
  • Finger-feeds self

Gross Motor

  • Crawls on hands and knees
  • Pulls to stand
  • Walks holding onto furniture
  • Takes two or three steps without support

Fine Motor

  • Uses pincer grasp
  • Releases objects voluntarily
  • Bangs two objects together
  • Puts objects into container

Cognitive

  • Explores objects in many ways (shaking, banging, throwing, dropping)
  • Finds hidden objects easily
  • Begins to use objects correctly (brushing hair, drinking from cup)


By 18 Months:

Social/Emotional

  • Separation anxiety increases
  • Begins to show defiant behavior

Gross Motor

  • Walks alone
  • Pulls toys while walking

Fine Motor

  • Turns over container to pour out contents
  • Spoons feeds
  • Uses open and sippy cup

Cognitive

  • Imitates housework


By 24 Months:

Social/Emotional

  • Imitates behaviors of others particularly adults and older children
  • Increasingly excited about company of other children
  • Separation anxiety begins to fade

Gross Motor

  • Carries large toy or several toys while walking
  • Begins to run
  • Kicks a ball
  • Walks up and down stairs with support

Fine Motor

  • Scribbles
  • Builds tower of 4 or more blocks
  • Demonstrates handedness

Cognitive

  • Helps with undressing
  • Finds objects hidden under multiple covers
  • Begins to sort by shapes and colors
  • Begins make believe play


By 36 Months/3 years:

Social/Emotional

  • Imitates adults and playmates
  • Shows affection for playmates
  • Can take turns in games
  • Expresses a wide range of emotions
  • Separates easily from parents

Gross Motor

  • Climbs well
  • Walks up and down stair alternating feet
  • Runs easily
  • Pedals a tricycle
  • Bends over without falling

Fine Motor

  • Makes lines vertically, horizontally, and scribbles circles
  • Turns pages of a book one at a time
  • Builds a 6 block tower
  • Holds a crayon or pencil in writing position
  • Turns rotating handles

Cognitive

  • Makes mechanical toys work
  • Plays make-believe with dolls and animals
  • Participates in cooperative play
  • Completes inset puzzles with 3-4 pieces
  • Undresses self
  • Toilet training begins


By 48 Months/4 years:

Social/Emotional

  • Interested in new experiences
  • Plays “mom” or “dad”
  • Dresses and Undresses
  • Often cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality

Gross Motor

  • Hops and stands on one foot
  • Goes up and down stairs without support
  • Throws a ball overhead
  • Catches a bounced ball most of the time

Fine Motor

  • Copies squares
  • Draws a person with 2-4 body parts
  • Uses scissors
  • Draws circles and squares
  • Begins to copy capital letters

Cognitive

  • Correctly names colors
  • Understands concept of counting
  • Begins to understand time
  • Understands the concept of “same” and “different”


By 60 Months/5 years:

Social/Emotional

  • Wants to please friends
  • More likely to agree to rules
  • Likes to sing, dance, act
  • Aware of gender
  • Able to distinguish fantasy from reality

b>Gross Motor

  • Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer
  • Hops
  • Somersaults
  • Swings
  • Beginning to skip

Fine Motor

  • Copies triangle and other shapes
  • Draws a person with a body
  • Prints uppercase letters
  • Cuts on line consistently
  • Uses fork and spoon
  • Cares for own toileting needs

Cognitive

  • Can count 10 or more objects
  • Knows about use of everyday items (food, money)


By 6 years:

Social/Emotional

  • Needs to win and may change rules to suit
  • Increasingly aware that others have feelings
  • Shows more interest in taking care of his or her self without help
  • Cleans his or her room, including making the bed
  • Likes board games, crafts and other constructive projects

Gross Motor

  • Can move in time with music or a beat
  • Very interested in climbing and balancing, takes risks
  • Learns to skip with rope
  • More in control of his or her body
  • Bounces and catches tennis ball

Fine Motor

  • Holds a pencil with three fingers, movement from fingers
  • Copies a diamond
  • Draws a person with detail
  • Writes alphabet
  • Ties shoelaces without help
  • Eye-hand coordination significantly improves
  • Masters buttons and fasteners
  • Cuts with a knife

Cognitive

  • Develops reasoning skills
  • Learn through language and logic/reasoning
  • Child shows a strong desire to learn


By 7 years:

Social/Emotional

  • Desires to be perfect and is quite self-critical
  • Tends to complain; has strong emotional reactions
  • Understands the difference between right and wrong
  • Takes direction well

Gross Motor

  • Has good balance
  • Executes more complicated gymnastics such as a cartwheel
  • Activities become more sport specific

Fine Motor

  • Proficient with paper and pencil tasks
  • Able to organize multi-step sequences

Cognitive

  • Able to solve more complex problems
  • Individual learning style becomes more clear-cut
  • Can solve simple math problems using objects