By 12 months old, what developmental milestone should an infant be attempting?

By the age of 12 months, infants typically show significant progress in their fine and gross motor skills. One of the key milestones is the ability to manipulate objects with increasing precision. Building a two-block tower is a common activity that reflects not only fine motor skills but also cognitive abilities, such as problem-solving and spatial awareness.

At this age, many infants are developing their ability to grasp small objects and coordinate their hand movements, making the tower-building activity appropriate. It demonstrates their emerging control over their hand and fingers, a skill that is essential for later tasks such as writing and self-feeding.

While walking independently, throwing a ball, and jumping in place are also developmental milestones observed in young children, they typically occur slightly later, with walking usually beginning around 12 months but varying widely, and activities like throwing a ball and jumping in place usually developing after the first year. Therefore, the development of building a two-block tower aligns most closely with the typical milestones reached around 12 months.