The age at which a child can first walk backwards is:

• A. 12 months.
• B. 15 months.
• C. 18 months.
• D. 24 months.

Answer: (C)

Walking backwards is a later gross motor skill that demonstrates growing balance, proprioception, and coordinated leg movement. After a child begins walking independently around 12 months, gait becomes more stable and refined over the next year. Shifting weight backward and stepping in reverse requires greater trunk control and leg coordination, which typically emerge around 18 months. So, the first backward steps are most commonly seen at about 18 months. Earlier ages (12 months, 15 months) reflect earlier milestones in independent walking when balance is still developing, while later ages (24 months) represent further refinement beyond the typical emergence of backward walking.