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Concern
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with concern.
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Signs & concerns
If a child isn't yet showing gymnastic skill
Gymnastic skills like rolling, balancing and tumbling develop gradually and across a wide normal range. If a child isn't showing them yet, it usually means more practice, confidence and safe movement opportunities are needed rather than a problem. Offer plenty of active play, watch the broader picture of walking, running and coordination, and arrange a developmental check if wider motor or developmental delays appear. This is observation, not alarm — early support works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerCaregiver guide: a child not yet showing head control
Most babies steady their head by around 4 months and hold it firmly by 6 months. If a baby in your care is past 4 months with a consistently floppy or lagging head, arrange a calm developmental check — especially if you also notice feeding difficulty, very low or high muscle tone, or not tracking faces. This is reason to assess early, not a diagnosis, because early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't hopping yet, what should a caregiver do?
Hopping on one foot usually emerges between about 3 and 4 years, with steadier hopping by 5, and timing varies widely between healthy children. If a child isn't hopping yet, it is most often a matter of more practice and time. Seek a gentle developmental check if hopping is missing alongside other balance or gross-motor delays, frequent falls, one-sided weakness, or if you have a persistent worry — early support helps best.
Read the answer AnswerAs a caregiver, what should I do if a child isn't yet hopping?
Hopping on one foot is a later gross-motor skill, usually emerging around 3–4 years and steadying by 5. If a child isn't hopping yet but is otherwise running, jumping and climbing happily, it's usually fine — offer playful balance practice and watch overall movement. Seek a developmental check if other motor skills also seem behind, the child falls often or stiffly, loses a skill, or shows no progress despite practice. This is reassurance and monitoring, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't showing hyperactivity, what should a caregiver do?
A child who is not showing hyperactivity is usually doing well — a calm, settled child is typical and healthy. The absence of restlessness is not a concern on its own. Seek a developmental check only if calmness travels with other differences, such as unusual stillness, low engagement, or delays in talking, moving or connecting. This is reassurance and monitoring, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing imagination
Imaginative pretend play usually emerges between 18 months and 3 years. If a child isn't showing it yet, it is most often a matter of stage, opportunity or temperament — not a problem. Invite play through everyday moments with open-ended toys, and if pretend play hasn't appeared by around 2½–3 years or comes with delays in talking or social connection, arrange a calm developmental check. This is a reason to look early, never a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing imaginative play
Pretend play usually emerges between about 18 months and 3 years and unfolds differently for every child. If a child isn't yet pretending, gently invite and model play in everyday moments rather than worrying. Seek a developmental check if pretend play hasn't begun by around 2.5–3 years, or if it travels with delays in talking, gestures or social connection. This is a reason to look early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerSupporting a child who isn't pretending yet
Imaginative play usually emerges between 18 months and 3 years, at each child's own pace. The best support is to join in, model simple make-believe, offer open-ended props and give it time — not pressure. Seek a developmental check if pretend play hasn't appeared by around 2½–3 years, or if it comes with few words, little eye contact or limited interest in shared play. This is a reason to look gently, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerChild Not Imitating Yet? A Caregiver's Guide
Imitation — copying gestures, sounds and play actions — usually grows across the first two years. If a child isn't yet copying, invite it through face-to-face play, mirror their sounds and actions, and watch the wider picture of communication and connection. This is a reason to support and observe, not a diagnosis; a developmental check is wise if imitation is absent alongside delays in words, eye contact or social play.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing imitation skills
Imitation — copying actions, sounds and faces — is a key way children learn, and it unfolds at different paces. If a child isn't yet imitating, make copying playful and frequent while gently watching their wider communication and play. This isn't a diagnosis, but a calm developmental check is wise, because early play-based support works best.
Read the answer AnswerHelping a Child Who Isn't Yet Imitating
Imitation — copying claps, faces and sounds — is how children learn to connect. If a child in your care isn't yet imitating, start with joyful face-to-face play: mirror their actions, exaggerate and pause, pair gestures with sounds, and celebrate every attempt. Seek a developmental check if imitation isn't emerging alongside few gestures, little eye contact or shared smiling, or limited response to their name. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis — early, play-based support works best.
Read the answer AnswerHelping a child who is not yet showing impulse control
Impulse control develops slowly across early childhood, so a young child who interrupts, grabs or struggles to wait is usually on track. Caregivers build this skill through calm routines, short manageable waits, and praising the pause — far more than reminders to 'stop'. Seek a developmental check if impulsivity is much greater than peers, risks safety, or travels with delays in attention, talking or social connection. This is observation, not diagnosis, because early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerHelping a child build impulse regulation
Impulse regulation develops gradually, and young children naturally grab, interrupt and struggle to wait. As a caregiver, co-regulate first — stay calm, name feelings, set gentle limits and praise the pause. Seek a developmental check if impulsivity is far beyond same-age peers, causes real danger, isn't improving with support, or comes with other delays. This is reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerIf a Child Isn't Yet Showing Impulsivity: A Caregiver's Guide
A child not yet showing impulsivity is usually displaying healthy emerging self-control — patience, waiting and thinking before acting — which is a strength, not a worry. The thing to watch is the whole picture: how the child connects, plays, communicates and engages. Seek a developmental check only if low impulsivity travels with delays in talking, social connection, play or unusual withdrawal — not a diagnosis, simply a wise early look.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child is not yet showing inhibition
Inhibition — pausing, waiting and stopping an impulse — develops slowly across early childhood and is not present from birth. Toddlers who grab, interrupt or struggle to wait are usually showing a normal, growing brain. Build the skill through turn-taking and stop-go games, and seek a gentle developmental check if a school-aged child still cannot stop, wait or follow simple rules far more than peers, or if it affects learning, friendships or safety. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing inquiry skills
Inquiry skills — exploring, questioning, experimenting — grow at different paces in different children. If a child isn't yet poking, asking or testing things out, make space for hands-on play, follow their lead and narrate the world aloud. This isn't a diagnosis; it's a cue to enrich everyday curiosity and, if other learning or communication areas also seem behind, arrange a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing instruction recall
Instruction recall — hearing a request, holding it in mind and acting on it — develops gradually from one-step to two-step instructions across the toddler years. If a child isn't yet following simple requests, simplify your language, say their name first, give one instruction at a time, pair words with gestures and allow processing time. Always check hearing. Seek a gentle developmental check if recall stays well behind peers or travels with other communication differences — this is early support, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing internalizing behaviors
If a child in your care is not showing internalizing behaviors — inward-turning worry, sadness or withdrawal — that is usually a reassuring sign of a secure, settled child who expresses feelings openly. There is nothing to fix; the caregiver's role is to keep nurturing emotional security through warm, responsive care and to stay gently observant. Note any persistent shift toward withdrawal or fearfulness over weeks and mention it at a routine check, but isolated sad moments are normal and healthy.
Read the answer AnswerHelping a child build interruption control
Interruption control — waiting, holding a thought and letting others finish — is one of the last self-regulation skills to mature and develops gradually through childhood. The warmest response is calm modelling, turn-taking games and patient practice, not correction. Seek a developmental check only if difficulty waiting is persistent across settings, much greater than peers, and getting in the way of friendships, learning or routines.
Read the answer AnswerIf a Child Isn't Showing Joint Attention Yet
Joint attention — sharing focus through looking, pointing and showing — usually grows across the first two years. If a child isn't yet doing this, follow their interest in warm face-to-face play, name and point at what they enjoy, and pause for their response. Seek a developmental check if pointing, gaze-following or shared smiling are rare by around 18 months, especially with delays in babble or words. This is an early opportunity, not a diagnosis, and joint attention responds beautifully to playful daily support.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't showing jump rope coordination yet
Jump rope coordination is a complex gross-motor skill most children master between 6 and 8 years, and often later. If a child isn't skipping yet, build the underlying pieces — two-footed jumping, rhythm, turning the rope — through playful practice. Seek a developmental check only if broader motor skills like running, hopping, catching and balancing also seem behind. Isolated difficulty with skipping, with everything else age-appropriate, is usually just a skill still in progress.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't jumping yet
Jumping with both feet usually appears around 24–30 months, after walking, running and climbing. If a child isn't jumping yet, offer safe, playful practice and watch the wider movement picture. Seek a developmental check if jumping is well overdue and other gross-motor skills — running, stair-climbing, kicking — are also slow, or if a skill is lost. This is about early support, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerAs a caregiver, what should I do if a child in my care is not yet showing jumping skills?
Two-foot jumping usually emerges around 24–30 months, building on running, climbing and stepping down. If a child isn't jumping yet, it most often means more time and practice are needed — offer plenty of safe, playful movement. Arrange a gentle developmental check if jumping hasn't appeared by around 30–36 months or travels with other motor delays. This is reassurance, not diagnosis — early support works well.
Read the answer AnswerWhat a Caregiver Should Do About Slow Language Development
If a child in your care isn't yet showing expected language, observe calmly, enrich everyday talk, play and reading, and arrange a developmental check rather than waiting. Watch for few or no words, little babbling or pointing, no response to name, or loss of a skill. This is a reason to assess early — not a diagnosis — because early speech support works best.
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