Developmental milestones are skills most children show within a typical age range, such as sitting, first words or playing alongside others. ACECQA hosts a resource, Developmental milestones and the EYLF and NQS, that groups them into six age bands from birth to 5 years and five areas: physical, social, emotional, cognitive and language. It describes itself as information to support professional judgement, not a checklist. Milestones help educators meet regulation 74, which requires documented assessments of each child’s developmental needs and progress against the EYLF outcomes.
Below: how milestones fit the EYLF, the age bands, how to use them without turning them into a checklist, and when to talk to families.
The EYLF does not set ages. Its five learning outcomes (regulation 73) describe learning every child moves towards in their own way. Milestones add the other half: what development usually looks like at a given age. The two work together in the planning cycle. Milestones help you notice and interpret what you see. The outcomes give you the frame for planning what comes next.
One thing to know about the ACECQA milestones resource: it was produced under the EYLF Practice Based Resources project and is mapped to the 2009 EYLF. Its outcome links still work, because the five outcomes did not change, but its practice wording (for example “intentional teaching”) is pre-V2.0. See what changed in V2.0.
The resource uses six age bands: birth to 4 months, 4 to 8 months, 8 to 12 months, 1 to 2 years, 2 to 3 years and 3 to 5 years. Within each band it covers five areas:
| Area | What it covers | Broad examples across early childhood |
|---|---|---|
| Physical | Gross and fine motor skills, coordination | Head control and rolling in the first months; sitting, crawling and pulling to stand across the first year; walking, climbing and then running and jumping in the toddler years; grasp developing into drawing and using utensils |
| Social | Relating to others | Responding to familiar faces; playing beside other children, then with them; taking turns with support |
| Emotional | Feelings, attachment, self-regulation | Seeking comfort from known adults; showing a widening range of feelings; beginning to name feelings and manage frustration |
| Cognitive | Thinking, exploring, problem-solving | Exploring objects with hands and mouth; cause and effect; pretend play; sorting, counting and asking “why” |
| Language | Communication, receptive and expressive | Cooing and babbling; first words; joining words; telling simple stories and following instructions with several steps |
These examples are deliberately broad. Children reach milestones at different times, and ranges vary widely. Use the full resource for the detail in each band.
Regulation 74(1)(a) requires, for each child preschool age or under, documented assessments of the child’s developmental needs, interests, experiences and participation, and of their progress against the outcomes. Regulation 74(2) asks for documentation that suits how long the child attends and that educators and parents can easily understand. A short note that links an observation, the development it shows and what you will do next meets the purpose better than a long checklist.
Families can ask for information about their child’s participation and for a copy of the regulation 74 documentation (regulation 76). If an educator has a concern about a child’s development, the usual path is a calm conversation with the family about what you have seen over time. The service does not diagnose. It encourages the family to talk to their GP or child health nurse. The service’s inclusion and enrolment policies should set out how this is handled and what support is available.
Skills most children show within a typical age range, across physical, social, emotional, cognitive and language development. They are guides to typical development, not deadlines; children reach them at different times.
Six bands: birth to 4 months, 4 to 8 months, 8 to 12 months, 1 to 2 years, 2 to 3 years, and 3 to 5 years.
Not directly. The EYLF sets learning outcomes, not ages. Milestones are a separate body of knowledge that helps educators interpret observations and assess progress towards the outcomes, as regulation 74 requires.
ACECQA's resource says to use milestones as a source of information rather than a prescriptive checklist. Strength-based observations linked to the outcomes are more useful and meet regulation 74 better than tick-box checklists.
Talk with the family about what educators have observed over time, without diagnosing, and suggest they speak with their GP or child health nurse. Follow the service's inclusion policy for support.
WIDEN Law answers National Quality Framework questions with inline citations to the National Law, the Regulations and the NQS, so you can check the source provision yourself.
14-day free trial, no card →This page is a research summary, not legal or compliance advice. It is written in our own words from the sources linked on the page; confirm the position with your regulatory authority before relying on it for a compliance decision.