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Occupational Therapy
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with occupational therapy.
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Signs & concerns
My Child Isn't Climbing Stairs Yet: What to Do
Most children climb stairs with help around 14–18 months and more independently by about 2 years, usually after steady walking and balance. If a child in your care isn't yet climbing, offer safe supervised practice, keep stair gates in place, and look at the whole motor picture. Arrange a developmental check if stair climbing is delayed alongside walking, balance or other skills — this is a reason to observe and support, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing static balance
Static balance — holding the body steady while standing or sitting still — develops gradually as core strength, vision and the inner ear mature. If a child isn't yet steady, keep offering safe, playful practice and note what you see. Seek a developmental check if the child is well past the age peers manage it, is slipping backwards, or shows balance trouble alongside delays in sitting, walking or other movement. This is an early look, never a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing task responsibility
Task responsibility — starting, sticking with and finishing activities — is a developing life skill that grows through routines, small steps and encouragement, not all at once. Support it by breaking tasks down, using picture checklists, praising effort and gradually fading help. Seek a developmental check if a child consistently struggles to follow age-appropriate instructions across many daily settings, with frustration that blocks learning or self-care. This is reason to support and observe early, never a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing tiptoe balance yet
Tiptoe balance usually emerges between about 2 and 3.5 years as ankle strength, core stability and balance mature. If a child isn't showing it yet, keep offering playful chances to practise — reaching up, tiptoe-creeping, gentle heel-raises. Seek a developmental check if it's missing alongside other motor concerns such as not walking by 18 months, frequent falling, persistent toe-walking, or stiff or floppy legs. This is gentle observation, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerCaregiver guide: when a child isn't showing toileting skills yet
Most children are not reliably toilet-trained until around 3, so a child not yet showing skills is usually within the typical range. Watch for readiness signals — staying dry longer, noticing wetness, interest in the toilet, following simple steps — rather than chasing an age. Keep it calm and positive. Seek a developmental check if there's little progress by 3.5–4 years, a child loses skills, stools are painful, or toileting delays come with other developmental differences.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child in your care isn't showing walking balance yet
Walking and balance arrive across a wide window — many children walk independently between 12 and 18 months. As a caregiver, give plenty of safe floor, standing and cruising practice, avoid baby walkers, and arrange a calm developmental check if the child isn't walking by around 18 months, has lost a skill, or seems stiff, floppy or strongly one-sided. This is early support, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerAt what age should a child develop adaptive skills?
Adaptive skills grow gradually, not on one birthday: by age 3 most children self-feed and help with dressing; by 4–5 they dress, toilet and wash hands largely on their own. Wide variation is normal — patterns across settings matter more than exact dates.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Does Auditory Processing Develop?
Auditory processing — the brain making sense of sound — develops across the toddler years (12–36 months): turning to their name, following simple instructions, enjoying songs. Formal auditory processing assessment is usually meaningful only from about age 7, and a hearing check always comes first.
Read the answer AnswerAt what age should a child balance & hopping?
Children typically balance on one foot briefly by 3 years, steadily by 4, and begin hopping on one foot around 4–5 years, hopping several times in a row by 5–6. These are gentle guides; a check is worthwhile if a child cannot balance briefly or hop by about 5.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Have Balance Control?
Balance control grows step by step: steady sitting by 7–9 months, standing alone near 11–12 months, walking by 12–18 months, brief one-foot balance by age 3, and a few seconds on one leg with hopping by 4–5 years. These are friendly guides, not deadlines.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Catch a Ball?
Children usually start catching a large ball against the chest around 3 to 4 years, and can catch a smaller bounced or tossed ball with their hands by 5 to 6 years. It is a window, not a fixed date — steady progress matters more than the exact age.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Bead Thread?
Most children start threading large beads around age 3 and refine to smaller beads and patterns by age 5. Bead threading blends pincer grasp, bilateral and hand-eye coordination. A wide range is normal; a gentle check helps if a child cannot thread a large bead by about 4 years.
Read the answer AnswerAt what age should a child develop catching skills?
Children typically begin trapping a large ball against the body around age 3, catch a tossed or bounced ball with two hands by 4, and use their hands for a smaller ball by 5–6. Catching matures later than throwing, so some lag is normal — these are guide-posts, not deadlines.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Develop Colouring Skills?
Children usually scribble by 12–18 months, make purposeful strokes by 2–3 years, and colour within rough boundaries between 3 and 4 years, with neater in-the-lines colouring by 4–5 years. These are gentle guides, not deadlines, and children vary widely.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Feed Themselves?
Most children grow largely independent at mealtimes between 3 and 7 years: a spoon and fork with little spilling by about 3, serving and managing most of a meal by 4–5, and using a knife on soft foods by 6–7. These are guideposts, not deadlines, and children vary widely.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Develop Sensory Regulation?
General sensory regulation develops gradually between ages 3 and 7, as a child learns to stay calm and organised amid everyday sounds, textures and movement. Wide variation is normal; a closer look is warranted when overwhelm persists across home and preschool beyond age 4–5.
Read the answer AnswerAt what age should a child hopping balance?
Most children first hop on one foot around 3 years, manage several hops in a row by 4, and hop steadily on each foot by 5. The range is wide — steady month-by-month progress matters more than an exact age. Check in if a child still cannot hop on one foot by about age 5.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Hop on One Foot?
Most children start hopping on one foot around 3–4 years, manage 2–3 hops by 4, and hop smoothly 5+ times on either foot by about 5. A few months' variation is normal; a friendly check is worthwhile if a child cannot hop at all by age 5.
Read the answer AnswerWhen Should a Child Start Jumping?
Most children jump in place with both feet leaving the ground by 24 to 30 months, jump forward by age 3, and hop on one foot by 4 to 5 years. These are ranges, not deadlines — a few months' variation is normal, but no attempt to jump by age 3 is worth a friendly check.
Read the answer AnswerAt what age should a child show lateral movement?
Children usually begin lateral (sideways) movement by cruising along furniture between 9 and 14 months, refine purposeful side-steps by 2–3 years, and master side-galloping and confident weight-shifts by 4–6 years. Ranges are wide; steady progress matters more than an exact date.
Read the answer AnswerWhen Should a Child Learn to Brush Their Teeth?
Start cleaning your baby's gums and first teeth at the first tooth (~6 months) — you brush for them. Children help and copy by 2–3 years, brush with supervision by 4–5, and usually manage independently by about 6–7 years. Always supervise and re-brush until then.
Read the answer AnswerAt what age should a child learn to do simple chores?
Simple chores can begin around 18 months to 2 years, when toddlers love to imitate. Match the task to the age: toddlers put toys away, preschoolers feed pets and water plants, and school-age children tidy rooms and set the table. The aim is participation and independence, not a perfect result.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Learn to Drink From a Cup?
Babies can start practising with a cup from around 6 months alongside solids, drink small amounts with help by 12 months, and manage a cup fairly independently with some spills by 18–24 months. These are gentle guides, not deadlines.
Read the answer AnswerWhen Should a Child Learn to Fall Asleep on Their Own?
Babies can begin learning to self-settle from around 4–6 months, and most children can fall asleep independently in their own bed by 2–3 years. There is wide, healthy variation, and needing comfort at bedtime in the early years is completely normal.
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