32-month milestones (2 years 8 months): what is emerging next
32-month milestones: there is no CDC checklist for 32 months, so keep using the 30-month one (15 items), as CDC advises between two ages. The 36-month checklist is four months off, and this page lists its 12 items with an activity for a 32-month-old beside each.
Updated
CDC 30-month milestone checklist
At 32 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 32 months, try Tape Parking Lot for Two (10–15 min, 25–33 months)
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At 32 months, try Small-Pitcher Pour at Snack (3–8 min, 24–34 months)
Language and communication
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At 32 months, try Knob Puzzle Peek and Name (5–10 min, 15–30 months)
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At 32 months, try Bedtime Day Recap (3–8 min, 28–36 months)
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At 32 months, try Things That Go Together (5–10 min, 25–33 months)
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
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At 32 months, try Knock-Knock Box House (5–15 min, 27–36 months)
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At 32 months, try Which Cup? Toddler Shell Game (5–10 min, 24–34 months)
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At 32 months, try Hand-Wash Picture Steps (2–5 min, 24–36 months)
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At 32 months, try Trace Around the Lid (5–12 min, 26–36 months)
Movement and physical development
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At 32 months, try Bubble Jar Twist and Blow (5–10 min, 22–36 months)
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At 32 months, try Coat Flip on the Floor (3–8 min, 26–36 months)
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At 32 months, try Hoop Island Jump (5–12 min, 24–34 months)
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At 32 months, try Paper-Page Picture Book Turns (5–10 min, 26–36 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.
32 months at a glance
| CDC checklist for 32 months | None (CDC's checklists in this range: 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36 months) |
|---|---|
| Checklist that applies now | 30 months (15 items), reached two months ago |
| Next checklist | 36 months (12 items), in four months |
| Where this month sits | In-between month 2 of 5 from 30 to 36 months |
| Library activities that fit 32 months | 100 (age band overlapping 30-35 months) |
| Skills building at 32 months | 43 of the 67 everyday skills on this site |
| Born early | No correction (it stops at 24 months) |
Which checklist applies at 32 months
Two months after the 30-month checklist and four before the 36-month one, a 32-month-old sits in the middle of a 5-month stretch with no CDC list of its own; CDC's rule is to keep using the earlier checklist, here the 30-month one.
The 36-month list has 12 items (2 social-emotional, 5 language, 2 cognitive and 3 movement). They are not expected at 32 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 32 months
Each 36-month item with an activity for a 32-month-old, and how the activity's age band relates to 32 months:
| By 36 months (CDC) | Area | Try at 32 months |
|---|---|---|
| Settles within about 10 minutes after you leave, for example at a childcare drop-off. | social-emotional | Slow Bubble Breathing (mid-band, 30-36 mo) |
| Spots other children playing and goes over to join them. | social-emotional | Tape Parking Lot for Two (late in its 25-33 mo band) |
| Keeps a conversation with you going for at least two back-and-forth exchanges. | language | Toy Car Trip Story (mid-band, 30-36 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 Photo Action Talk (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 | Trace Around the Lid (mid-band, 26-36 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 | Soft-Cube Fork Spearing (an easy win, band ended at 30 mo) |
Activities toward the 36-month milestones
8 activities picked for 32 months, by CDC area. In Trace Around the Lid, for example, watch for this sign of progress: keeps the crayon touching the edge for part of the way around.
Social-emotional at 32 months
Language at 32 months
Cognitive at 32 months
Movement at 32 months
Skills behind the 36-month list
Skills commonly building at 32 months
43 everyday skills on this site have 32 months inside their age window. Six of them, with where 32 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.
- Making music, late in its window (12-36 months): Making music is not on the CDC checklists.
- Tearing and peeling, late in its window (14-36 months): Tearing is not on the CDC checklists.
- Hand washing, late in its window (15-36 months): Holding hands out for you to wash them is a CDC 18-month milestone.
- Using a fork, late in its window (18-36 months): Using a fork is a CDC 36-month milestone.
When to talk to your pediatrician at 32 months
Talk to your pediatrician if a 32-month-old loses a skill they used to have, if 30-month items such as “gets some clothes off alone, such as an open jacket or loose pants” or “plays near other children and now and then joins in with them” are still missing at 32 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 32-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 32 months
Correction stops at 24 months chronological (AAP: the first 2 years), and 32 months is eight 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 32-month-old talk?
CDC gives no list for 32 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.
When is the next milestone checklist after 32 months?
At 36 months, in four 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 should a 32-month-old be doing?
Most children (75% or more) do the 15 items of the 30-month checklist by 30 months, such as: gets some clothes off alone, such as an open jacket or loose pants and plays near other children and now and then joins in with them. Emerging next, for the 36-month list: settles within about 10 minutes after you leave, for example at a childcare drop-off and asks "who", "what", "where" or "why" questions, such as asking where a parent is.
Is there a CDC milestone checklist for 32 months?
No. In the 12-36 month range CDC has checklists at 12, 15, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months. At 32 months use the 30-month checklist (CDC: between two ages, use the earlier one); the 36-month checklist follows in four months.
What if my 32-month-old has not reached these milestones?
The 36-month items are not due at 32 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 32-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 32 months
Born early
Skills building at 32 months
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.