Free child development milestone printables from CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. program can help parents, caregivers, teachers, and early-childhood professionals track developmental milestones from infancy through age 5. The current resource library includes printable milestone checklists, children’s books, tip sheets, flyers, cards, stickers, and other educational materials in multiple languages.
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1. What Free Child Development Resources Are Available?
CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. resource library brings together free materials designed to help families and professionals follow early childhood development. The collection includes milestone checklists, booklets, brochures, children’s materials, fact sheets, flyers, cards, stickers, graphics, and other downloadable resources. The program focuses on milestones from birth through age 5 and encourages caregivers to notice how children play, learn, speak, act, and move. These materials are educational tools that can make it easier to keep developmental information organized and start conversations with a child’s healthcare provider when questions come up.
2. Free Milestone Checklists by Age
One of the most useful resources is the set of milestone checklists with tips. CDC provides printable checklists for different ages, along with suggestions for activities that support development and guidance on what to do if a caregiver has concerns. The current milestone pages cover ages from early infancy through 5 years. Parents can print the checklist that matches their child’s age, work through it at home, and bring the completed sheet to a pediatric or developmental appointment. The checklists are also available in digital formats, including CDC’s Milestone Tracker app and online milestone pages.
3. Children’s Books and Family-Friendly Materials
The free resource collection also includes children’s books and family-friendly materials that introduce developmental concepts in an approachable way. These can be useful for parents, preschool teachers, childcare providers, home visitors, and other early-childhood programs. Some materials are designed to be shared directly with families, while others help professionals explain why milestone tracking matters. Because the resource library contains several formats, users can choose a simple one-page checklist, a longer booklet, a children’s activity resource, or a printable handout depending on what fits their needs.
4. How to Download and Print the Free Resources
Use the button above to open the current Learn the Signs. Act Early. resource library. Choose the type of material you want, open its resource page, and select the available download or print option. Many of the milestone checklists are provided as PDF files specifically intended for printing. Save the file to your device so you can print it later or share it with another caregiver. No purchase is required to access the downloadable resources. Printing at home does use your own paper and ink, so families who want to limit printing costs can choose only the pages they need.
5. Languages and Accessible Formats
CDC offers many Learn the Signs. Act Early. materials in Spanish and provides selected resources in additional languages. The milestone checklist collection currently includes multiple translated versions, including languages such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Somali, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and others. Availability varies by resource, so use the individual resource page to see which translations are offered. This makes the program especially useful for schools, community organizations, healthcare practices, and families serving multilingual households.
6. Can You Still Order Printed Materials by Mail?
CDC previously offered online ordering of pre-printed Learn the Signs. Act Early. resources, but that ordering program is no longer active. The current CDC ordering page states that its Publications Warehouse has been retired and that pre-printed Learn the Signs. Act Early. resources are no longer available to order online through CDC. Instead, CDC recommends viewing and printing materials from the resource site. It also suggests contacting a local Act Early Ambassador to ask whether free printed resources may be available at the state or local level. Availability through local programs is not guaranteed.
7. Important Note About Developmental Screening
These milestone materials are helpful educational tools, but they are not a substitute for formal developmental screening or medical advice. CDC specifically notes that its milestone materials should not replace standardized, validated developmental screening tools. If a parent or caregiver is concerned about a child’s development, the appropriate next step is to discuss those concerns with the child’s healthcare provider and ask about screening or early-intervention resources. The free checklists can be useful for organizing observations and helping families describe what they have noticed.
8. Final Thoughts
Free child development milestone printables are a strong evergreen resource for families, teachers, and early-childhood professionals. The current CDC library makes it easy to find age-based checklists, family materials, children’s resources, and translated versions without paying for access. Start with the milestone checklist that matches your child’s age, explore the additional printable resources, and save useful files for future reference. Because CDC updates its resource library over time, return to the official page when you need the latest versions or additional languages.