33 Months: Pre-Three Checkup Prep

The 36-month well-child visit is the last intensive developmental screening before kindergarten. It assesses language, social skills, fine and gross motor, and school readiness. At 33 months, you have three months to consolidate the skills that will be checked at that visit.

The biggest shift at 33 months is narrative language: your child can now tell you a simple story or describe a recent event. "We went to the park. I saw a dog. The dog was big and ran fast." This is the foundation of literacy. Your job is to listen and engage.

Language Milestones at 33 Months

With First Son, I never thought to ask him about his day. He'd come home from daycare and I'd give him a snack. We'd play. I'd read him a book before bed. Good routines. But "what happened today?" wasn't part of them. By 33 months he wasn't naturally constructing narratives — he wasn't used to being invited to. When I finally started asking around age 4, it took months before he could give me anything beyond "I don't know."

With Second Son, I asked about his day from the moment he had enough language to start answering — around 22 months, badly. One word at first, then two. By 33 months I was getting a real story: "We went to the park and Maya fell down and she cried and then we had snack." Sequence, character, consequence. He built that skill because I kept creating the occasion for it.

Narrative language at this age predicts reading comprehension at school age more strongly than almost any other single variable. The investment is a daily question and genuine attention to the answer. That's the whole intervention.

• Full sentences (4+ words) established — Should be the normal mode of communication. Grammar is still developing (e.g., "I goed"). The key is sentence length and communicative intent.
• Describes recent events — Can tell you what happened at daycare or at the park. Sequence may be jumbled, but the core narrative is there.
• 75% of speech understandable to strangers — This is the 36-month clinical target for speech clarity. At 33 months, you should be very close to this. If strangers frequently can't understand your child, note it for the 3-year visit.
• Counts objects 1–5 consistently — One-to-one correspondence is solid. The target for 3 years is 1–5 objects. Pushing towards 10 is next.
• Names 4+ colors consistently — Red, blue, yellow, green. Many children know more.
• Understands time concepts — Morning, afternoon, night, today, tomorrow. Rough concepts, not precise clock time.

Social/Emotional: Peer Friendships and Empathy

At 33 months, peer friendships are a real part of your child's life. They have specific friends they prefer, and cooperative play is becoming more elaborate and sustained. This is also when you'll see more consistent empathy.

• Peer friendships evident — Names friends, talks about them, asks to play with them. These are not just playmates; they are real social connections.
• Cooperative play with shared rules — Playing for 10–15 minutes with a shared goal, negotiating roles. Still needs adult scaffolding for conflict resolution, but the play itself is more robust.
• Empathy consistent — Reacts with concern when others are upset. Attempts to comfort. Shows clear understanding of others' feelings.
• Sharing beginning to be voluntary — Not forced. Offering a toy without being asked. This is the first genuine sign of spontaneous sharing.

What the 36-Month Visit Will Assess

The 3-year checkup is one of the most comprehensive. It typically includes:

• Full developmental screening — Often an ASQ-3 (Ages & Stages Questionnaire) to cover all domains.
• Language assessment — Sentence length, clarity to strangers, narrative ability.
• Social/emotional assessment — Cooperative play, peer interactions, emotional regulation.
• Motor skills — Running, jumping, climbing, hopping on one foot (emerging). Fine motor (drawing lines, circles).
• Potty training status — Daytime trained? Nighttime? Accidents?
• Vision and hearing screening — Formal tests if not done at 30 months.
• Vaccines — Often DTaP, MMR, Varicella, IPV, Influenza boosters.

Come prepared with specific examples of language (stories your child has told), social interactions, and any behaviors you're concerned about. The more specific your observations, the more useful the visit will be.

What to Do Right Now

1. Ask "what happened today?" every day. This prompts narrative language. Listen for sequence, character, and action. Don't correct grammar; just engage the story.
2. Notice speech clarity to new people. If a new babysitter or relative struggles to understand your child, note it. The 75% stranger clarity target by 36 months is a key flag for speech therapy.
3. Confirm the 36-month visit is booked. It's often a long appointment with multiple assessments. Book it now if it isn't already scheduled.

Month 34 is about consolidating these gains. Month 35 is the final push before the big 3-year checkup.

Frequently Asked Questions