Speech IEP goals for kindergarten

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A kindergarten speech goal names one skill, a classroom-like task, the support and a criterion with a denominator. Example: during a 5-minute play sample, Leo will produce final consonants in 16 of 20 words, up from 6 of 20. Pull targets from centers, circle time and read-alouds so the goal shows up in class.

Kindergarten is where speech and language needs start to cost a student in class. Directions get longer, read-alouds bring new words, and peers stop guessing what a classmate meant. The 24 goals below cover the five areas most kindergarten caseloads need: speech sounds and intelligibility, concepts and directions, vocabulary, grammar, and retell and peer talk.

Each goal shows the condition, a baseline, the criterion and the measure, with a link to its full template. Names and numbers are illustrations, not benchmarks. For goals at every age, start at the speech therapy IEP goals pillar. For non-speech kindergarten goals, see IEP goals for kindergarten.

How to choose a kindergarten speech goal

Start with what the teacher sees during the day, then check it against your testing and a short language sample. A five-year-old with speech errors and a five-year-old with a language disorder can look alike in a busy room, and many have both.^[1] Choose the one or two areas that block learning or friendships most.

What the teacher sees	Sub-skill to target	Measurement method
Peers say "What?" and walk away	Intelligibility or one phonological pattern	Percent of words understood in a sample
Drops ends of words ("ca" for cat)	Final consonants	Words correct out of 20 in a probe
Says "tup" for cup, "do" for go	Velar sounds (fronting)	Words correct out of 20, then sentences
Lost on "line up behind" or "put it under"	Basic concepts in directions	Directions correct out of 10
Names things "that" or "the thing"	Vocabulary and categories	Items correct out of 10
"Him going" and "her did it"	Pronouns and verb forms	Correct uses in obligatory contexts
Retells one event or none	Retell with story parts	Rubric points on a recorded retell

If speech errors are mild and the student is understood, monitor before writing a goal. Some errors are still typical at five, and ASHA's guidance ties the decision to age expectations and impact, not to any error at all.^[2]

Speech sound and intelligibility goals

Write sound goals at the level the student can already do part of the time: word level for most kindergarteners, then phrases. The intelligibility topic gathers goals that measure how much a listener understands, which is the outcome teachers care about.

During a 5-minute play or picture-talk sample, Leo will produce final consonants in 16 of 20 words that need them, across 3 sessions. Baseline: 6 of 20. Measure: word count on a recorded sample. Template.
Given 20 picture names with /k/ and /g/ at the start of words, Mila will say the back sound without fronting in 17 of 20 words on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 4 of 20. Template.
During a center-time game, Mila will use /k/ and /g/ in 2- to 4-word phrases in 8 of 10 turns across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
Given 10 minimal-pair picture sets (such as tea and key), Omar will say each word so the SLP picks the right picture in 9 of 10 trials on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
In a recorded 50-word sample with a familiar adult who does not know the topic, Omar will be understood in at least 75% of words across 2 samples. Baseline: 45% of words. Template.

Weak: "Leo will improve his articulation skills." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the pattern, the task, the count of words and the number of sessions.

Use a recorded sample for intelligibility so you can score it later and share it with the team. For a student whose error is "th" or a back sound, the articulation "th" topic and the /k/ and /g/ topic have more wording. Sound-by-sound goals for older students are on the articulation goals examples page.

Concept and direction goals

Kindergarten directions are full of position, order and quantity words. Take your items from the teacher's real routines: lining up, cleaning up, and worksheet directions read aloud.

Given 10 spoken directions with position words (under, behind, next to, between) using classroom objects, Ava will follow the direction correctly in 9 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
Given 10 directions with first and last or before and after during a line-up or cleanup routine, Ava will do the steps in the right order in 8 of 10 on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Given 10 spoken directions with quantity words (all, some, none, more), Jonah will act out the direction with objects correctly in 8 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
During whole-class directions, Jonah will follow a two-step direction given once in 4 of 5 observed opportunities across 2 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Measure: opportunities, observed by the SLP or teacher. Template.
Given 10 spoken sentences with "not" (such as "Find the one that is not red"), Grace will pick the right picture from 3 in 8 of 10 on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Ava will follow directions." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It says which concept words, how many directions and how many sessions.

Accept any clear response: pointing, placing, acting out, or using a device. The goal measures understanding, not how the student shows it. The following directions topic has more classroom wording.

Vocabulary and category goals

Tie vocabulary to the units the class is reading. A kindergarten student learns words faster when they come from this week's read-aloud than from a generic picture list.

Given 10 pictures from the current class theme, Theo will name each one in 8 of 10 on the end-of-unit probe. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Given 12 pictures from 3 categories (food, animals, clothes), Theo will sort them and name each category in 3 of 3 sorts across 2 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 3. Template.
Given a category name, Nora will say 5 members within 1 minute for 4 of 5 categories across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 members on average. Template.
Given 10 common objects or pictures, Nora will tell what each is used for (such as "a broom is for sweeping") for 8 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
Given 10 picture pairs, Eli will say one way the two items are the same and one way they are different for 7 of 10 pairs on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Theo will increase his vocabulary." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the word set, the number of items and when it is probed.

The categories topic collects goals for sorting and naming groups. Category work also helps word finding, because it gives the student a way to describe a word they cannot retrieve.

Grammar goals: pronouns, verbs and sentences

Pick one form at a time. Score it in obligatory contexts, the places where the form is required. Read-aloud books and picture scenes create many contexts in a short time.

During a picture description task, Sofia will use he, she and they correctly in 16 of 20 obligatory contexts across 3 sessions. Baseline: 7 of 20. Template.
When describing actions in pictures or play, Sofia will use is or are with an -ing verb ("she is jumping") in 15 of 20 contexts on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 5 of 20. Template.
Given 10 pictures with one or many items, Malik will mark plurals with -s or -es in 9 of 10 items across 2 sessions. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
When telling what happened yesterday or at recess, Malik will use regular past tense -ed in 12 of 15 contexts across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 15. Template.
Given a picture scene, Ruby will say a sentence of 4 or more words with a subject and verb for 8 of 10 pictures on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 3 of 10, mostly 2-word phrases. Template.

Weak: "Sofia will use correct grammar in sentences." Measurable: Goal 1 above. One form, one task, a count of contexts.

The pronouns topic and verb tense topic have more wording for these forms. Share the target with the teacher so the student hears it modeled during the day.

Retell and peer talk goals

Retelling ties speech goals to early reading, and peer talk ties them to friendships. Record retell probes so the team can hear the change over the year.

After hearing a short picture book, Isla will retell it with props and include the character, the problem and the ending, scoring 3 of 3 parts on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 1 of 3. Template.
Given 3 picture cards of a familiar routine, Isla will put them in order and tell what happens using first, then and last in 4 of 5 sets across 2 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
During center time, Ben will ask a peer for a turn or a toy using words, signs or a device in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 observations. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
When a listener does not understand him, Ben will repeat, say it another way or show what he means in 3 of 4 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: 0 of 4, usually stops talking. Template.

Weak: "Isla will improve her storytelling." Measurable: Goal 1 above. A 3-part rubric gives a number every time.

Goal 4 matters for a student who is hard to understand. It teaches repair, a skill the student keeps using while the sounds catch up. The retelling topic has more story goals.

How to measure kindergarten speech goals

Choose the method when you write the goal, not at the first progress report.

Word and item probes suit sound, concept and vocabulary goals. Use 10 or 20 items and a fresh set each time. Record them on the accuracy data sheet.
Obligatory contexts suit grammar goals. Mark each place the form was needed and whether the student used it.
Recorded samples suit intelligibility. Count words the listener understood out of total words. The intelligibility glossary entry explains the measure.
Opportunities suit classroom goals such as following group directions or asking a peer. The opportunity data sheet fits these. See opportunities for how to count them.

Probe every 2 to 3 weeks and graph the scores. Repeated short measures are what let you see a trend before a report goes home.^[4] The IEP must also state how and when progress will be reported.^[5] For collecting data in a group of four kindergarteners, see speech therapy data collection.

Short-term objectives for kindergarten goals

Step up one variable at a time. For sound goals, the steps are usually words, then phrases, then sentences, then structured play. For grammar, move from picture tasks to retell to talk at centers.

For the final consonant goal: by the first report, 16 of 20 words in a picture-naming probe; by the second, 16 of 20 in short phrases; by the third, 16 of 20 in a play sample. The short-term objectives guide covers the format, and the speech present levels examples show how to write the baseline up.

Adapting by support level

Student profile	Adjust the goal	Example change
Emerging talker or uses AAC	Accept any mode and lower the length demand	Ask for a turn with a device in 4 of 5 opportunities
Mild speech errors, good language	One sound pattern, carry into class	Final consonants during sharing time
Language disorder, clear speech	Concepts, grammar and retell	Pronouns in obligatory contexts
Learning English and another language	Probe in the stronger language first	Retell scored in either language
Autistic student with echoed phrases	Count echoed phrases that make a request or comment	Gestalt used to request in 4 of 5 chances

For multilingual students, check whether an error appears in both languages before calling it a disorder.^[3] For an autistic kindergartener, speech therapy goals for autism adds goals for requesting, commenting and conversation. The K to 2 speech-language goals page lists every template for this grade band, and the goal checker flags vague parts before the meeting.

Frequently asked questions

How many speech goals should a kindergartener have?

Usually two to four. Each should target a different area that affects learning or friendships, such as one sound pattern and one language skill. More goals mean fewer practice trials per goal in each session, which slows progress on all of them.

Should kindergarten speech goals be written for sounds or for intelligibility?

Often both. A sound or pattern goal tells you what to teach. An intelligibility goal shows whether listeners understand the student better, which is what the teacher and peers notice. Pair them when errors make the student hard to follow.

Can a kindergarten speech goal use a communication device?

Yes. Write the goal around the language skill, such as asking for a turn or retelling a story, and accept speech, signs or a device as the response. The skill is the target, not the mode.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Spoken Language Disorders, ASHA
Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology, ASHA
Multilingual Service Delivery in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, ASHA
Progress Monitoring: Data & Goal Setting, National Center on Intensive Intervention
34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

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.