Articulation goals for 4 and 5 year olds: 20 examples
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
Articulation goals for 4 and 5 year olds target sounds most children have by this age, such as /k/, /g/ and /f/, and start on /s/, /l/ and sh near age 5. Example: given 15 untrained picture words with /k/ or /g/, Owen will say the back sound in 12 of 15 words across 2 consecutive probes.
Ages 4 and 5 are when sound goals start to look like school goals: picture cards, untrained word probes, short sentences. The child can sit for 15 to 20 trials, notice errors when shown, and practice at home. But many sounds are still on a normal timeline, so the first job is choosing which errors are due. The 20 goals below are grouped by the sounds and patterns that usually make sense at this age. The numbers are illustrations.
For language, grammar and conversation goals at the same age, see speech goals for 4 year olds. For every sound at every age, see the articulation goals examples pillar.
Which sounds are due at 4 and at 5
In a large review of US studies, most children produced /t/, /k/, /g/, /f/, "ng" and "y" by about 3 years, 11 months, and /v/, /s/, /z/, /l/, "sh," "ch" and "j" by about 4 years, 11 months, using a 90% criterion. /r/ and voiced th came by about 5 years, 11 months.[1] ASHA's speech sound page cites the same review.[2]
For goal planning, that means:
| Age | Errors that are fair targets | Errors usually still developing |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years | /k/, /g/, /f/, /t/, final consonants, any lateral sound | /s/, /l/, sh, ch, j, /r/, th |
| 5 years | All of the above plus /s/, /z/, /l/, sh, ch, j, s-clusters | /r/, th |
A lateral /s/ or sh is the exception: target it at any age, because lateral airflow is not a usual step in development. Score against the child's home dialect and language.
How to choose the right goal
| What you see now | Sub-skill to target | Measurement method |
|---|---|---|
| "tup" for cup, "pish" for fish | Back sounds and /f/ | Percent of 15 to 20 untrained words |
| Lisp, slushy /s/ (near age 5, or lateral at any age) | /s/ and lisps | Opportunities: 20 trials; percent of 20 words |
| "wamp" for lamp, "sip" for ship (near age 5) | /l/, sh and ch | Percent of 20 words |
| "top" for stop, "nana" for banana | Clusters and longer words | Percent of 15 to 20 words |
| Correct sounds in therapy, not in class | Kindergarten readiness and carryover | Percent of target words in routines |
Goals for back sounds and /f/
- Given 15 untrained picture words with /k/ or /g/, Owen will say the back sound, not /t/ or /d/, in 12 of 15 words across 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 3 of 15. Template.
- Given 2 pictures with /k/ or /g/ words, Owen will make a short sentence with both and say both back sounds correctly in 7 of 10 sentences. Baseline: 1 of 10. Template.
- Given 20 picture words with /f/ in all positions, Lily will gently bite her lower lip and say /f/ rather than /p/ in 16 of 20 words. Baseline: 5 of 20. Template.
- During a 5-minute play conversation, Owen will say /k/ and /g/ correctly in 70% of target words on 2 of 3 monthly samples. Baseline: 15%. Template.
Weak: "Owen will say /k/ and /g/." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It sets untrained words, the error to replace and the count.
Goals for /s/ and lisps
A frontal lisp at 4 may resolve on its own; a lateral lisp usually will not. Write /s/ goals for a 5-year-old with a frontal lisp, or for any child with a lateral one.
- With a straw and a "tongue behind teeth" cue, Maya will say /s/ with central airflow in isolation and syllables in 16 of 20 trials across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 of 20. Template.
- Given 20 picture words with /s/ and /z/ in all positions, Maya will say the sounds without a lateral or frontal lisp in 16 of 20 words across 2 probes. Baseline: 4 of 20. Template.
- Given 20 words ending in /s/ or /z/ (such as bus, yes and nose), Ben will say a clear ending in 16 of 20 words. Baseline: 7 of 20. Template.
- During a sentence-building game with 10 /s/ words, Ben will keep /s/ behind his teeth in 8 of 10 sentences across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Weak: "Maya will correct her lisp." Measurable: The second goal in this section. It names the sounds, both lisp types and the count.
Goals for /l/, sh and ch
These goals fit a child close to 5, or a 4-year-old whose errors are part of a wider pattern.
- Given 20 picture words starting with /l/, Lily will lift her tongue tip and say /l/, not /w/ or "y," in 16 of 20 words across 2 probes. Baseline: 5 of 20. Template.
- Given 15 untrained words with /l/, Lily will say /l/ rather than a glide in 12 of 15 words at the end of a 4-week cycle. Baseline: 3 of 15. Template.
- Given 20 picture words with sh, Ben will round his lips and say sh rather than /s/ in 16 of 20 words. Baseline: 6 of 20. Template.
- Given 15 short phrases with ch (such as "chips for lunch"), Ben will say ch correctly in 12 of 15 phrases. Baseline: 4 of 15. Template.
Weak: "Lily will work on /l/." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It names the position, the error to replace and the count.
Goals for clusters and longer words
- Given 15 untrained words starting with "st," "sp" or "sn," Maya will say both consonants in 11 of 15 words across 2 probes. Baseline: 2 of 15. Template.
- Given 15 three-syllable words (such as banana and computer), Owen will say every syllable in 12 of 15 words across 3 sessions. Baseline: 5 of 15. Template.
- Given 10 three-syllable words (such as animal and spaghetti), Owen will keep the sounds in the right order in 8 of 10 words. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
- Given 20 words with l-clusters (such as blue and play), Lily will say both sounds with a correct /l/ in 14 of 20 words. Baseline: 4 of 20. Template.
Weak: "Maya will produce blends." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It names the clusters and the untrained words.
Kindergarten readiness and carryover goals
- When the SLP says 10 words, some with the target sound and some with the error, Maya will judge each as right or wrong in 9 of 10 across 2 sessions. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
- During shared reading, Lily will name 10 target-sound pictures correctly in 8 of 10 turns across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
- During class sharing time, Owen will use the target sound in 7 of 10 target words, noted by the teacher or SLP, on 3 of 4 weekly checks. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
- For a 5-year-old learning letters, Ben will write or point to the letter for his target sound (such as s or sh) for 8 of 10 spoken words. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Weak: "Owen will use his sounds in class." Measurable: The third goal in this section. It names the routine, who scores and the schedule.
How to measure goals at ages 4 and 5
Use 15 untrained words per probe for a 4-year-old and 20 for a 5-year-old, every 2 weeks at the start of the session. Turn the probe into a game: picture cards under cups, a fishing game, a puppet who "only eats words with /k/." Score each word on the opportunity trial data sheet and code the error type (such as T for /t/ in place of /k/), so you can see a substitution becoming a near miss.
For conversation goals, record 3 to 5 minutes of play once a month. Count only target words and report percent correct of those words. The opportunities measurement guide explains how to score cued tries, and articulation baseline shows how to set the starting number.
Adapting between 4 and 5
| Age or setting | What changes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Early 4 | Back sounds, /f/, final consonants; play probes of 15 words | Back sound and /f/ goals |
| Late 4 to early 5 | Add sh, /l/ and s-clusters if errors persist | /l/, sh and cluster goals |
| Age 5, pre-K | /s/ and lisps, sentences, judging own errors | Lisp and judging goals |
| Kindergarten entry | Carryover in class, letter-sound links | Sharing time and letter goals |
For 3-year-olds, start with articulation goals for 3 year olds. For several patterns at once, see phonological processes IEP goals. Templates are on the articulation goals page, and the goal checker flags a missing denominator.
Frequently asked questions
Should a 4 year old have a lisp goal?
A frontal lisp at 4 often resolves without therapy, so many SLPs monitor until about 5. A lateral lisp, with air escaping over the side of the tongue, is a fair target at 4 because it rarely resolves on its own.
What sounds should a 5 year old say correctly?
Most 5-year-olds say nearly all English consonants. /s/, /z/, /l/, sh, ch and j are usually in place by about age 5. /r/ and th often take longer, into age 6 or 7.
How many target words should a probe have at this age?
Use about 15 untrained words for a 4-year-old and 20 for a 5-year-old. Keep the probe short and game-like, and collect it before practice so the score reflects what the child does without help.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Articulation goals (speech language)
- Preschool articulation goals
- /k/ and /g/ articulation goals
- Articulation in the IEP glossary
- IEP goal checker
Related guides
- Articulation goals examples: sound by sound, with data methods
- Articulation goals for 3 year olds: 20 play-based examples
- Articulation baseline: 24 baseline statements with the goals they support
- Articulation carryover strategies: moving a sound into class and home
Sources
- Children's English Consonant Acquisition in the United States: A Review (Crowe and McLeod, 2020), American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, via PubMed
- Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology, ASHA
Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.