Speech IEP goals for preschool

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A preschool speech goal is measured in play and daily routines, accepts any reliable mode, and counts opportunities. Example: during snack and play, Nia will request an item or action with a word, sign or picture in 8 of 10 opportunities, up from 2 of 10. Write targets the classroom staff can see and count too.

Preschool speech goals look different from school-age goals. Three- and four-year-olds learn language in play, snack, songs and books, not at a table with flashcards. The 20 goals below are written for those routines, so the SLP, the preschool teacher and the family can all practice and count the same thing.

They cover five areas: early communication, first words and word combinations, understanding words and concepts, speech sounds, and early grammar and storytelling. Each goal has a condition, a baseline, a criterion with a denominator, a measure and a link to its template. The numbers are illustrations. For the wider set of preschool goals beyond speech, see preschool IEP goals. Every speech area across ages is on the speech therapy IEP goals pillar.

How to choose a preschool speech goal

Watch the child in two or three routines before you choose. Note how the child communicates now (reaching, leading an adult, signs, words, echoed phrases) and what breaks down. Late talkers vary a lot, and ASHA's guidance ties the decision to the child's whole profile, including play, gestures and understanding, not word count alone.^[1]

What you see in the classroom	Sub-skill to target	Measurement method
Cries or grabs to get things	Requesting with any mode	Opportunities during snack and play
Uses fewer than 20 words, mostly nouns	Word variety and verbs	Different words in a 10-minute sample
Says single words only	Two-word combinations	Combinations per 10-minute sample
Hands the wrong item or wanders off after directions	Words, concepts and one-step directions	Directions correct out of 10
Family and teachers understand under half of speech	Early sound patterns	Words correct out of 20 in play
Short phrases, no "I" or "is"	Early grammar	Correct uses out of obligatory contexts
Plays alone with toys, no pretend talk	Early narrative and pretend play language	Events told in a play scene

Compare what you see with general milestone guides, then confirm with your own assessment.^[3] Preschool special education under IDEA Part B covers children ages 3 to 5, and services happen in many settings, including community preschools and the home.^[4]

Early communication and requesting goals

Requesting comes first because it gives the child power over the day and cuts frustration. Set up routines that create reasons to ask, such as a snack in a clear container or a toy that needs an adult to wind it.

During snack and play routines, Nia will request a wanted item or action with a word, sign or picture in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 of 10, reaches or cries. Measure: opportunities. Template.
When stuck with a toy or container, Nia will ask for help with a sign, word or picture in 4 of 5 opportunities across 2 weeks. Baseline: 0 of 5. Template.
When offered an item she does not want, Zara will refuse with "no," a head shake or a sign in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 5, throws the item. Template.
During a people game such as tickles or chase, Zara will signal to keep it going with a look, sound, sign or word in 8 of 10 pauses across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Nia will communicate her wants and needs." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the routines, the accepted modes and the count of opportunities.

Accept every mode equally. A sign or picture today does not slow speech later, and it gives the child a way to ask right now. For children who may need a device long term, see AAC goals examples.

First words and word combination goals

Count words in a short play sample. A 10-minute sample at the same center each time gives a fair comparison from month to month.

During a 10-minute play sample, Mateo will use 15 different words, signs or picture symbols without a model across 2 samples. Baseline: 5 different words. Template.
During play with a car ramp or bubbles, Mateo will use action words such as go, open, push or more in 8 of 10 turns across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
During a 10-minute play sample, Lily will combine two words or signs (such as "more juice" or "dog run") 10 times across 2 samples. Baseline: 1 combination. Template.
When an adult expands her single word ("ball" to "big ball"), Lily will repeat or add to the phrase in 6 of 10 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Mateo will use more words." Measurable: Goal 1 above. A fixed sample length and a count of different words make the change visible.

Write the words down during the sample, or record it and count later. Count a word, sign or symbol once, however many times it is used. The expressive language goals for preschool have more phrasing.

Understanding words and concept goals

Receptive goals for preschoolers use real objects and routines. Avoid gestures that give the answer away, such as looking at or pointing toward the item while you name it.

Given a choice of 3 familiar objects or pictures, Kai will find the one named in 9 of 10 trials across 3 sessions. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
During cleanup and play, Kai will follow a one-step direction given without a gesture (such as "put the bear in the box") in 8 of 10 opportunities across 2 weeks. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Given 10 directions with in, on and under using toys, Rosa will place the item correctly in 8 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
During a shared picture book, Rosa will point to the picture that shows a named action (such as eating or sleeping) in 8 of 10 trials on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Kai will understand more words." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It sets the field size, the number of trials and the sessions.

Before you write a receptive goal, check that hearing has been screened. A child who misses words in noise may need an audiologist before a speech goal. The receptive language goals page lists more templates.

Speech sound goals for preschoolers

Many preschool sound errors are typical for age. Target patterns that make the child hard to understand, such as dropping final sounds or leaving off first sounds, rather than late sounds like /r/.^[2] Practice in play: a farm set, a feely bag or a song.

During a play routine with 20 target words, Ethan will produce final consonants in 14 of 20 words across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 20. Template.
During book sharing, Ethan will say target words that start with /p/, /b/ or /m/ in 8 of 10 turns across 2 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
During circle songs and chants, Ivy will produce the weekly target pattern (such as both syllables in "bunny") in 7 of 10 tries across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
During snack and morning routines, Ivy will use /k/ and /g/ words (cookie, cup, go) correctly in 6 of 10 opportunities across 3 weeks. Baseline: 0 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Ethan will say his sounds correctly." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the pattern, the routine and the count of words.

A child who uses many patterns at once often does better with a cycles approach, rotating patterns every few weeks. The phonological processes goals and the intelligibility topic have more wording.

Early grammar and storytelling goals

Once the child combines words, early grammar and simple pretend play talk come next. Model the target form many times before you ask for it.

During play, Noah will refer to himself with I, me or my in 8 of 10 obligatory contexts across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 of 10, uses his name. Template.
When describing pictures of actions, Noah will say a 3- to 4-word sentence (such as "the boy is eating") for 7 of 10 pictures on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 1 of 10. Template.
During pretend play with a kitchen or farm set, Ada will tell two events in order using first and then in 4 of 5 play scenes across 3 sessions. Baseline: 0 of 5. Template.
After a familiar story with props, Ada will add the next event when the adult pauses in 6 of 8 pauses across 3 retells. Baseline: 2 of 8. Template.

Weak: "Noah will speak in sentences." Measurable: Goal 2 above. Sentence length and the number of pictures are set.

The pronouns topic and retelling topic have related goals.

How to measure preschool speech goals

Choose methods the classroom staff can use while they teach.

Opportunities fit requesting, help and direction goals. Decide in advance what counts as an opportunity, such as each time snack is offered. Use the opportunity data sheet.
Play samples fit word and combination goals. Keep the length and toys the same each time.
Item probes fit receptive and sound goals. Use 10 or 20 items and change them each probe. The accuracy data sheet works here.
Frequency counts fit combinations per sample. The frequency data sheet tallies them.

Probe every 2 to 4 weeks and graph the scores, because repeated measures show the trend that a single score hides.^[6] Preschool teams often share data with families, which matches early childhood practice of planning with the family as a partner.^[5]

Short-term objectives for preschool goals

Step up the support or the setting, one change at a time. For requesting, the steps can go from an adult model, to a pause and wait, to no cue. For sound patterns, the steps go from imitation, to play words, to talk at snack.

For the requesting goal: by the first report, 6 of 10 opportunities with a model; by the second, 6 of 10 after a 5-second pause; by the third, 8 of 10 with no cue. The short-term objectives guide explains the format.

Adapting by profile and setting

Profile or setting	Adjust the goal	Example change
Not yet using words	Start with requesting and joint attention	Show a toy to share interest in 4 of 5 chances
Autistic child who echoes phrases	Count echoed phrases used to request or comment	Familiar gestalt to request in 4 of 5 chances
Community preschool, itinerant SLP	Goals staff can count during routines	Requests at snack, tallied by the teacher
Home-based services	Routines the family does daily	Two-word phrases at bath and meals
Learning two languages	Count words in both languages together	15 different words across both languages

For autistic preschoolers, IEP goals for autism in preschool covers play and social goals in more depth. Readiness goals for routines and transitions are on the preschool readiness goals page, and every preschool template is on the preschool goals page. Before the meeting, run drafts through the goal checker.

Frequently asked questions

Can a preschool speech goal be measured at home?

Yes, if the IEP names home as a setting and the family agrees to count. Pick one routine, such as dinner, and one simple tally. Most teams still collect the main data in school so the progress report has consistent numbers.

Should preschool goals target speech sounds or language first?

Start with whatever most limits communication. A child who cannot request or combine words usually needs language first. A child with strong language who is hard to understand may need a sound pattern goal. Many children need one of each.

Do signs and pictures count toward a preschool speech goal?

They should, unless the goal is about a speech sound. Signs, pictures and devices let a child communicate now. Count them toward requesting and word goals, and keep modeling spoken words alongside them.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Late Language Emergence, ASHA
Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology, ASHA
Speech and Language Developmental Milestones, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Part B, Section 619 of IDEA, Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
DEC Recommended Practices, Division for Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children
Progress Monitoring: Data & Goal Setting, National Center on Intensive Intervention

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.