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Gross Motor Skills IEP goals

Gross motor goals cover the whole-body skills a student needs to move through the school day: balancing, climbing stairs, walking with the class, getting up from the floor, jumping, running, catching and throwing, using the playground, and traveling school routes with or without a mobility device. Good goals are educational, not clinical: they name a school activity, the surface or equipment, and the level of help, and they are measured where the activity happens. Measure discrete skills as trials, routines such as stairs or a school route as task-analysis steps, balance and endurance as duration, and transitions as time.

50 templates · How we write and review goals

Sample gross motor skills goals

Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline (how templates are made).

  • PK, K-2, 3-5Duration

    Balance on one foot during classroom and PE activities

    Static balance

    By the annual IEP review date, when asked to stand on one foot on a flat floor during PE or a therapy session, the student will independently stand on one foot without the other foot touching the floor and without holding on, with arms free for at least 8 seconds, on 3 consecutive weekly trials on each foot, as measured by duration recording collected weekly during PE or therapy.

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  • PK, K-2, 3-5Opportunities

    Walk along a line or low balance beam

    Dynamic balance

    By the annual IEP review date, given a 10-foot taped line on the floor, the student will walk the full length with no more than one step off independently with arms free in at least 4 of 5 trials, across 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during PE or therapy.

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  • PK, K-2, 3-5, 6-8Opportunities

    Go up and down stairs alternating feet

    Stairs

    By the annual IEP review date, when going up and down a flight of at least 8 stairs with a handrail during a class transition, the student will climb and descend the flight placing one foot on each step with one hand on the handrail in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weekly observations, as measured by direct observation collected weekly during a class transition on the stairs.

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  • PK, K-2, 3-5Duration

    Walk with the class in the hallway keeping pace and position

    Walking with the class

    By the annual IEP review date, during the class transition from the classroom to the cafeteria or gym, the student will independently complete the walk staying within one arm's length of the student ahead without stopping within 3 minutes, on 4 of 5 consecutive observed transitions, as measured by duration recording collected twice weekly on a fixed route.

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  • K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12Task-analysis steps

    Travel a school route with a walker or wheelchair

    Mobility with a device

    By the annual IEP review date, when traveling from the classroom to the cafeteria using the student's mobility device, the student will complete the steps of the route, performing at least 7 of 8 steps independently, on 4 of 5 consecutive observed trips, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected twice weekly on the fixed route.

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  • PK, K-2Opportunities

    Get up from the floor and sit back down with control

    Floor-to-stand transitions

    By the annual IEP review date, when the class moves from circle time to centers, the student will independently stand up from the floor without using hands on furniture or an adult in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weekly observations, as measured by direct observation collected weekly during circle time transitions.

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  • PK, K-2Duration

    Sit upright on the carpet or in a chair for group instruction

    Sitting posture and endurance

    By the annual IEP review date, during a 15-minute carpet-time lesson, the student will sit upright with the trunk off the floor, legs crossed or to the side, and hands free independently for at least 8 minutes, on 4 of 5 consecutive observed lessons, as measured by duration recording collected twice weekly during carpet time.

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  • PK, K-2Opportunities

    Jump forward and down with both feet together

    Jumping

    By the annual IEP review date, when asked to jump forward over a taped line on a flat floor, the student will jump with both feet leaving the floor together and landing together independently in at least 4 of 5 trials, across 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during PE or therapy.

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  • K-2, 3-5Opportunities

    Hop, gallop, or skip in the gym (choose one)

    Hopping, galloping, and skipping

    By the annual IEP review date, when asked to hop on one foot in place in the gym, the student will independently hop on one foot at least 5 consecutive times without the other foot touching in at least 4 of 5 trials, across 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during PE.

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  • PK, K-2, 3-5Opportunities

    Run across the gym with coordinated arms and legs

    Running

    By the annual IEP review date, when asked to run the length of the gym during PE, the student will run the full distance with arms swinging opposite the legs, a brief flight phase, and no falls independently in at least 4 of 5 trials, across 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during PE.

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  • PK, K-2, 3-5Opportunities

    Catch a ball with two hands

    Catching

    By the annual IEP review date, given an 8-inch playground ball tossed underhand from 5 feet, the student will independently catch the ball with the hands only, without trapping it against the body in at least 7 of 10 trials, across 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during PE or therapy.

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  • K-2, 3-5, 6-8Rubric score

    Throw a ball overhand with mature form

    Throwing

    By the annual IEP review date, given a tennis-sized ball and a target 15 feet away during PE, the student will throw the ball overhand toward the target using the form on the checklist independently, earning a score of at least 4 out of 5 on a 5-item overhand throw form checklist (1 point per item on the best 3 of 5 throws), on 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected weekly during PE.

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38 more gross motor skills templates

Each opens in the builder with its sample goal, notes, objectives, and data sheet.

What gross motor skills involves

  • Static and dynamic balance: one-foot standing, walking a line or low beam, uneven surfaces and curbs
  • Stairs, bus steps, chair and floor transfers, and traveling school routes with a walker or wheelchair
  • Locomotor skills: jumping, hopping, galloping, skipping, and running with coordinated form
  • Ball skills: catching, throwing with mature form, kicking, and dribbling
  • Playground access, obstacle courses, tricycles, and imitating movements in group activities
  • Body awareness in space: walking with the class, carrying items, and moving through crowds

Baseline and measurement considerations

  • Collect data on the real stairs, hallway, bus, and playground; a therapy room does not predict a crowded school stairwell.
  • Use task analysis for routes and routines (bus steps, school route with a device, playground sequence) and count only steps done without physical or verbal help.
  • Use trials (4 of 5, 7 of 10) for discrete skills such as catches and jumps, with the ball size, distance, and surface named in the condition and held constant.
  • Use duration for balance and sitting endurance and for timing transitions against the class; take the median of three trials, not the best.
  • Form criteria (running, throwing) need a written checklist and a trained observer; video with consent makes scoring reliable.
  • Record safety supports (adult within arm's reach) separately from the independence level so the data stay honest.

Progress-monitoring methods used in these templates

  • Duration recording: The length of time a behavior lasts is timed from a defined start to a defined end.
  • Opportunity (trial) recording: Each planned or naturally occurring opportunity is recorded as correct/independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.
  • Direct observation: An adult observes and records the defined behavior during a specified activity.
  • Task-analysis checklist: A routine is broken into ordered steps; each step is recorded as independent, supported, or not completed.
  • Rubric scoring: Work or performance is scored against written criteria with defined score levels.
  • Frequency (event) recording: Each occurrence of a clearly defined behavior is tallied during a fixed observation period.

How each measure works

Matching data sheets

Each template links to a blank sheet built for its measure. You can also download these sheets on their own:

  • Duration tracker: Times how long a behavior lasts and compares it with the target duration.
  • Opportunity tracker: Records each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.
  • Task-analysis checklist: Marks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.
  • Rubric tracker: Scores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.
  • Frequency & rate tracker: Counts a defined behavior during a fixed observation period. Calculates rate when time is recorded.
  • Accuracy tracker: Number correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.

Common mistakes when writing gross motor skills goals

  • Writing clinical goals (range of motion, strength grades, reflex integration) into the IEP instead of school participation goals.
  • Measuring a skill only in therapy and never on the playground, stairs, or bus where it matters.
  • Using percent accuracy for balance or endurance when seconds or minutes are the natural unit.
  • Changing equipment (a different beam, ball, or bus) between probes and reading the change as progress or regression.
  • Pushing for independence on raised surfaces or stairs without a PT decision on what is safe for this student.

Frequently asked questions

How do I write a gross motor IEP goal that is educationally relevant?

Start from a school activity the student cannot fully join: stairs between classes, recess equipment, PE games, circle time transitions, or the bus. Name that activity in the condition, describe the movement an observer can see, and collect data during the activity. Clinical measures belong in the PT evaluation and present levels, not in the goal.

What is a good gross motor goal for preschool?

Pick the skill blocking participation now: getting up from the floor at circle time, jumping with two feet in movement songs, climbing the playground ladder, or catching a large ball. Measure it as trials (4 of 5) or as task-analysis steps for the playground, in the setting where it happens, and keep the equipment the same each week.

Should the PT or the adapted PE teacher write gross motor goals?

Both can, and the roles overlap. The PT usually leads on mobility, transfers, stairs, and safety on surfaces and equipment; the adapted PE teacher leads on locomotor and ball skills and participation in PE games. Agree on the form criteria and the data sheet, and name who collects what.

How often should I collect data on gross motor goals?

Weekly for skills measured in PE or therapy, and daily for one week each month for routines that happen every day, such as stairs or the bus. Transitions timed against the class can be collected twice a week on a fixed route. More often than that rarely changes decisions and burdens staff.

What if the student uses a wheelchair or walker?

Write goals for traveling school routes, doors, ramps, the elevator, and transfers with the device, measured as task-analysis steps on a fixed route. Adapted PE can set device-based versions of ball skills and fitness activities. Facility barriers such as heavy doors should go to the building administrator, not into the student's goal.

References

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