Social Awareness & Perspective Taking IEP goals for kindergarten to grade 2
15 of the social awareness & perspective taking templates in the library are written for kindergarten to grade 2. Each opens in the builder, where the grade band is a starting point and the baseline comes from your own assessment.
15 templates · 1 skill · K–2 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Social Awareness & Perspective Taking Social-Emotional & Communication
Name basic emotions in photos of people
Naming basic emotions in others
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 photos of children in everyday situations showing happy, sad, mad, or scared, and a choice board of 4 emotion symbols, the student will name or point to the emotion that fits the person in each photo independently with at least 80% accuracy on emotion photos, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Notice when a classmate is sad or hurt
Noticing a peer who is upset
By the annual IEP review date, during free play, centers, or the playground, when a nearby peer cries, falls, or shows they are upset, the student will respond to the upset peer by going over, asking "Okay?", bringing a comfort item, or telling an adult independently in at least 3 of 5 opportunities, on 4 of 5 observed days, as measured by direct observation collected 3 times per week.
Match emotions to simple story situations
Emotions from situations
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short spoken situations with a picture (such as "It is her birthday", "His block tower fell down"), and a board of 4 emotion symbols, the student will choose or name the emotion that fits the situation independently with at least 70% accuracy on story situations, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Pick what a peer likes for them
Others have different likes
By the annual IEP review date, during a snack or play game, after a peer or puppet has said which of 2 items they like, when the adult asks the student to give that person one, the student will give or name the item the other person said they like (not the student's own favorite) independently in at least 7 of 10 opportunities, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Name a character's emotion and the clue
Character emotions and clues
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 picture-book pages or short story events at the student's listening level, with an emotion word bank, the student will name the character's emotion and one clue from the words, picture, or situation that shows it independently with at least 80% accuracy on story events (emotion and clue both given), in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Tell an accident from on purpose
Accident or on purpose
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short illustrated or video scenarios of peer mishaps, half accidental and half deliberate, the student will say whether the peer did it by accident or on purpose and name one clue (such as what they said, what they did next, or what happened before) independently with at least 80% accuracy on peer mishap scenarios, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
In kindergarten through grade 2, social awareness & perspective taking goals target foundational skills and are measured with short probes, word lists, or direct observation that fit a young student's attention span. Criteria usually use small item sets and frequent checks.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 8 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 6 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 1 goal here
Frequently asked questions
How are social awareness & perspective taking goals measured in the early grades?
With brief, repeatable measures: a one-minute probe, a 10-item set, or a few observed opportunities per day. The goal's mastery rule states how many measurements must meet the criterion.
Should early-grade goals be tied to grade-level standards?
Goals come from the student's present levels and should enable progress in the general curriculum, but the criterion is set from baseline data, not copied from a standard. The standard can inform what skill to target.
How many goals should a K-2 student have?
One per area of need identified in the evaluation. Young students often have goals across several areas (communication, early literacy, self-regulation), so keeping each goal to one measure keeps data collection realistic.
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