Those "normal" milestones that you find everywhere really are true.
I've done some websurfing and read many different lists of normal milestones, and I really can't get a feeling for what normal is, because of all the inconsistencies.
For instance, RUF level 2 says
"between ages three and four, they count small groups of objects"
I've seen lists stating that "normal" 3 year olds can count up to 5 objects. I've seen other lists claim that normal 3 year olds can usually only count 1 object.
I saw a list the other day that said most children can't tell you how old they are until they're 4.
Another strange thing I keep seeing that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me is block stacking. Lists will claim that it's normal to stack X number of blocks at 2, Y number of blocks at 3, and Z blocks at 4. I don't understand how you can stack 7 blocks but not 12. I know at some point a well stacked tower gets wobbly, but that's well after 12 I think. I have a similar feeling about puzzles. Once the puzzle is big enough that the picture contains more than 1 or 2 items, what's the difference? It seems like the difference between 50 pieces and 5000 is attention span, to me.
The other thing that's unfathomable to me is the supposed late use of adjectives and prepositions. I've seen lists claiming 3 year old children use 2 or 3 adjectives, and the same number of prepositions. I know the folly of anecdotal evidence and small sample sizes, but of the 6 toddlers I know, 5 of them know and use a lot more than that.
At any rate, I really wish I knew what normal was. Does anyone have a particularly trustworthy list of normal milestones?
