Play skills IEP goals

Play is how preschoolers learn language, motor skills and how to be with other people. A play goal is not about teaching one "right" way to play. It adds options: a new action with a toy, a reason to stay near a peer, a way to start a pretend story.

The 24 goals below are grouped by type of play, roughly in the order children develop them. Every baseline is an illustration of the format, not a norm for any age. For turn-taking and sharing goals, see the separate turn-taking IEP goals page. The preschool IEP goals pillar covers the other preschool areas.

How to choose a play goal

Watch the child in free play for 3 sessions of 10 to 15 minutes. Note what they do with toys and where they are in relation to peers. Then find the matching row.

The Division for Early Childhood recommends teaching inside natural play and routines, using the child's interests to set up chances to practice.^[1] So pick the toys and centers the child already likes for the first goal.

Worked example: Kai at the block center

Kai is 3 years 9 months old. His teacher and SLP watched three 10-minute free play periods in October. Kai spent most of each period at the block center, alone.

His average was about 1.5 minutes near a peer per 10-minute period, and he stayed when a peer joined 1 of 7 times. The team chose parallel play first, because staying near peers comes before playing with them. The goal: "During block center with 1 to 2 peers using similar materials, Kai will play within 3 feet of a peer for at least 5 minutes of a 10-minute period on 4 of 5 observed days." The duration data sheet tracked his minutes.

Functional and exploratory toy play goals

Weak: "Ella will play appropriately with toys."

Measurable: "During free play with 3 familiar cause-and-effect toys, Ella will play with a toy using its designed action for at least 3 continuous minutes on 4 of 5 days."

"Appropriately" judges the child's play. The measurable version names one action to add and a time to count.

Parallel play and imitation goals

Weak: "Kai will engage in parallel play."

Measurable: "During block center with 1 to 2 peers using similar materials, Kai will play within 3 feet of a peer for at least 5 minutes of a 10-minute period on 4 of 5 observed days."

Joining and inviting goals

These goals move from playing near peers to playing with them. Accept every mode: words, signs, pictures, a device, or bringing a toy over.

Goal 13 is the real test of peer play. If play stops the moment the adult leaves, the adult was carrying it.

Weak: "Leo will make friends."

Measurable: "During center time, Leo will ask a peer to play using a word, sign, picture or device in 3 of 4 opportunities across 2 weeks."

Pretend play goals

Pretend play builds language, sequencing and perspective taking. The CDC milestone checklists include simple pretend play among the skills families watch for in the toddler and preschool years.^[2] Start with one pretend action, then link actions into a short story.

Weak: "Mia will use imaginative play."

Measurable: "During play with a doll, Mia will act out a 3-step pretend sequence, such as feed, wash and put to bed, in 4 of 5 play sessions."

Starting and staying with play goals

Weak: "Sam will attend to play activities."

Measurable: "During center time, Sam will stay at a chosen center for at least 8 minutes on 4 of 5 days."

Outdoor and group game goals

Weak: "Noah will participate in recess."

Measurable: "During a group movement game such as parachute play, Noah will stay in the circle and do the actions for at least 3 minutes in 4 of 5 games."

The library has 40 templates on the play and social participation goals page.

How to measure play goals

• Duration goals (1, 5, 7, 13, 19, 23): time the play with a stopwatch during a set observation window, such as the first 10 minutes of centers. Use the duration data sheet.
• Opportunity goals (3, 6, 9 to 11, 20, 21, 24): count each chance and mark the response. The opportunity trial data sheet fits.
• Count goals (8, 12, 15, 17): tally in a fixed time window so the numbers compare across days.
• Sequence goals (14, 16): write down the actions in order. A short checklist of the expected steps works.

Take data 2 to 3 times a week, at the same time of day. Free play changes with who is in the room, so note which peers were present. Write the support level into every data point: "with a peer buddy" and "without" are different scores.

Short-term objectives for a joining goal

For goal 10 (asking a peer to play), objectives could read:

1. By December, when an adult models the words or sign, the child will ask a peer to play in 3 of 4 opportunities.
2. By March, with a picture cue on a ring, the child will ask a peer to play in 3 of 4 opportunities.
3. By May, without a model or cue, the child will ask a peer to play in 3 of 4 opportunities.

Adapting play goals by age and support level

For autism-specific play and social goals, see IEP goals for autism in preschool. For circle time participation, see circle time IEP goals. Paste each draft into the goal checker before the meeting.

Frequently asked questions

Use it in IEP Atlas

• Play social participation goals (social emotional)
• Preschool IEP goals
• Goals for the early childhood setting
• Duration data sheet
• Preschool special education in the IEP glossary
• IEP goal checker

Related guides

• IEP goals for preschoolers: examples by area
• Circle time IEP goals
• Sharing and turn-taking IEP goals
• IEP goals for kindergarten: examples by area
• IEP goals for autistic preschoolers
• Kindergarten reading IEP goals

Sources

1. DEC Recommended Practices, Division for Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children
2. CDC's Developmental Milestones, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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.