31-month milestones (2 years 7 months): what is emerging next
31-month milestones: CDC has no checklist for 31 months, so the 30-month checklist (15 items) still applies; between two ages CDC says to use the earlier one. The 36-month checklist comes in five months; below are its 12 items with activities that fit a 31-month-old.
Updated
CDC 30-month milestone checklist
At 31 months use the 30-month checklist (CDC: use the earlier checklist between ages); next checklist at 36 months.
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Social and emotional
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At 31 months, try Tape Parking Lot for Two (10–15 min, 25–33 months)
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At 31 months, try Brush and Hands Wash-Up (3–8 min, 20–36 months)
Language and communication
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At 31 months, try Things That Go Together (5–10 min, 25–33 months)
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At 31 months, try Bedtime Day Recap (3–8 min, 28–36 months)
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At 31 months, try Potato Scrub at the Basin (10–15 min, 24–34 months)
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
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At 31 months, try Dough Birthday Cake Party (10–15 min, 25–36 months)
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At 31 months, try Which Cup? Toddler Shell Game (5–10 min, 24–34 months)
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At 31 months, try Hand-Wash Picture Steps (2–5 min, 24–36 months)
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At 31 months, try Color Parking Lot for Cars (5–10 min, 26–36 months)
Movement and physical development
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At 31 months, try Nature Jar Lid Twist (3–8 min, 22–32 months)
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At 31 months, try Coat Flip on the Floor (3–8 min, 26–36 months)
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At 31 months, try Hoop Island Jump (5–12 min, 24–34 months)
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At 31 months, try Where's the Dog? Book Hunt (5–12 min, 18–30 months)
A checklist is monitoring, not a screening test. If your child loses a skill they had, or something worries you, talk to your pediatrician; in the U.S. you can also contact your state's Early Intervention program directly, no referral needed.
31 months at a glance
| CDC checklist for 31 months | None (CDC's checklists in this range: 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36 months) |
|---|---|
| Checklist that applies now | 30 months (15 items), reached one month ago |
| Next checklist | 36 months (12 items), in five months |
| Where this month sits | In-between month 1 of 5 from 30 to 36 months |
| Library activities that fit 31 months | 100 (age band overlapping 29-34 months) |
| Skills building at 31 months | 43 of the 67 everyday skills on this site |
| Born early | No correction (it stops at 24 months) |
Which checklist applies at 31 months
The 30-month checklist has just passed, and CDC has nothing new for 31 months: between two checklist ages CDC says to use the earlier one, so a 31-month-old is still compared with the 30-month list. That stays true for five in-between months, until the 36-month list starts in five months.
The 36-month list has 12 items (2 social-emotional, 5 language, 2 cognitive and 3 movement). They are not expected at 31 months; they show what is emerging next. Eight of them have an activity below that fits this month.
36-month milestones to watch for at 31 months
Each 36-month item with an activity for a 31-month-old, and how the activity's age band relates to 31 months:
| By 36 months (CDC) | Area | Try at 31 months |
|---|---|---|
| Settles within about 10 minutes after you leave, for example at a childcare drop-off. | social-emotional | Cozy Cushion Calm Corner (mid-band, 24-36 mo) |
| Spots other children playing and goes over to join them. | social-emotional | Side-by-Side Sandbox Scoops (an easy win, band ended at 30 mo) |
| Keeps a conversation with you going for at least two back-and-forth exchanges. | language | Bedtime Day Recap (mid-band, 28-36 mo) |
| Asks "who", "what", "where" or "why" questions, such as asking where a parent is. | language | Mystery Tote Bag Guess (mid-band, 26-36 mo) |
| Tells you what is happening in a picture or book when asked, such as "eating" or "running". | language | Family Feelings Photo Cards (mid-band, 24-34 mo) |
| Tells you their first name when you ask. | language | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Speaks clearly enough that other people understand them most of the time. | language | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Copies a circle on paper after watching you draw one. | cognitive | Crayon Leaf Rubbings (mid-band, 24-36 mo) |
| Keeps away from hot things, like a stove, when you warn them. | cognitive | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Threads things onto a string, such as large beads or pasta tubes. | movement | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Dresses in some clothes without help, such as a jacket or loose pants. | movement | Coat Flip on the Floor (mid-band, 26-36 mo) |
| Eats with a fork. | movement | Fork or Spoon? Dinner Choice (mid-band, 28-36 mo) |
Activities toward the 36-month milestones
8 activities picked for 31 months, by CDC area. In Fork or Spoon? Dinner Choice, for example, watch for this sign of progress: picks the spoon for runny food.
Social-emotional at 31 months
Language at 31 months
Cognitive at 31 months
Movement at 31 months
Skills behind the 36-month list
What changes in the activity plan at 31 months
The family plan offers an activity from 3 months before its age band until 2 months after it. At 31 months, 23 activities leave (band ended at 28 months):
- Leaves the plan: Scarf Copycat Dance, whose 19-28 mo band ended three months ago.
- Leaves the plan: Blanket Wave Teddy Bounce, whose 17-28 mo band ended three months ago.
- Leaves the plan: Cushion Ramp Car Turns, whose 18-28 mo band ended three months ago.
Skills commonly building at 31 months
43 everyday skills on this site have 31 months inside their age window. Six of them, with where 31 months falls and their usual timing:
- Calming with help, late in its window (12-36 months): Calming down within about 10 minutes after you leave, such as at a childcare drop-off, is a CDC 36-month milestone.
- Helping with dressing, late in its window (12-36 months): Helping you dress by pushing an arm through a sleeve or lifting a foot is a CDC 18-month milestone; taking some clothes off alone, such as loose pants or an open jacket, is a 30-month milestone; and putting on some clothes alone is a 36-month milestone.
- Hand washing, late in its window (15-36 months): Holding hands out for you to wash them is a CDC 18-month milestone.
- Noticing others' feelings, late in its window (15-36 months): Noticing when others are hurt or upset, and looking at your face to see how to react in a new situation, are CDC 24-month milestones.
- Potty awareness, late in its window (15-36 months): In general, children show signs of bladder and bowel control between about 18 and 24 months, and in the U.S.
- Pretend sequences, late in its window (18-36 months): Using objects to pretend, like offering a block to a doll as food, is a CDC 30-month milestone.
When to talk to your pediatrician at 31 months
Talk to your pediatrician if a 31-month-old loses a skill they used to have, if 30-month items such as “plays near other children and now and then joins in with them” or “uses around 50 words” are still missing at 31 months, or if anything else worries you. The AAP screening ages (developmental at 9, 18 and 30 months, autism at 18 and 24 months) are all behind a 31-month-old, so raise a worry at a regular visit or with a call, without waiting for a set date.
CDC milestones are things most children (75% or more) can do by that age; the checklists are for monitoring and are not a standardized screening tool. In the U.S. you can contact your state's Early Intervention program for children under 3 yourself; no doctor's referral is needed.
Born early? No correction at 31 months
Correction stops at 24 months chronological (AAP: the first 2 years), and 31 months is seven months past that point, so use the calendar age as it is: the 30-month checklist applies, whatever the weeks born early.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a 31-month-old talk?
CDC gives no list for 31 months. The 30-month checklist says: uses around 50 words, strings two or more words together with one of them an action word, like "baby sleep", tells you the name of a picture in a book when you point and ask what it is and refers to themselves or a group with words like "I", "me" or "we". By 36 months it adds: keeps a conversation with you going for at least two back-and-forth exchanges and asks "who", "what", "where" or "why" questions, such as asking where a parent is.
Which activities help a 31-month-old toward the 36-month milestones?
This page picks 8 library activities that fit 31 months, one or two per 36-month item, for example Fork or Spoon? Dinner Choice, Crayon Leaf Rubbings and Bedtime Day Recap. Short, playful repeats work better than drills.
What should a 31-month-old be doing?
Most children (75% or more) do the 15 items of the 30-month checklist by 30 months, such as: plays near other children and now and then joins in with them and uses around 50 words. Emerging next, for the 36-month list: eats with a fork and keeps a conversation with you going for at least two back-and-forth exchanges.
When is the next milestone checklist after 31 months?
At 36 months, in five months: CDC's 36-month checklist has 12 items (2 social-emotional, 5 language, 2 cognitive and 3 movement). Until then the 30-month list (15 items) applies.
What if my 31-month-old has not reached these milestones?
The 36-month items are not due at 31 months. If 30-month items are missing, if a skill is lost or if you are worried, talk to your pediatrician now. The AAP screening ages (developmental at 9, 18 and 30 months, autism at 18 and 24 months) are all behind a 31-month-old, so raise a worry at a regular visit or with a call, without waiting for a set date. In the U.S. you can also call your state's Early Intervention program without a referral.
Related
Milestones month by month
Plan for 31 months
Born early
Skills building at 31 months
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.