Goals for Younger Children

Here are some suggested developmental goals for younger children.

Cognitive Goals

 Visually follows object or person

 Locate object or person that disappear

 Use simple actions on toys (banging, shaking)

 Activate cause and effect toys

 Imitate actions

 Imitate sounds or words

 Solve simple problems

 Use objects or toys in a pretend way

 Group or sort objects in basis categories

Adaptive or Self-care Goals

 Bite and chew soft and crisp foods

 Bite and chew hard foods

 Drink from cup or glass

 Suck liquids through a straw

 Eat with fork and spoon

 Undress independently

 Unfasten fasteners on clothes

Social Goals

 Participate in “nursery games” with an adult

 Initiate and maintain social play with adults

 Initiate and maintain communication (using sound or words) with familiar adult

 Initiate and maintain interactions with another child

 Participate in familiar routines

 Display affection toward familiar adult

 Take turns during activities

 Communicate personal likes and dislikes through verbal and non-verbal actions and choices
  Separate comfortably from parents for routine activities (going to childcare or the babysitter)

 Play with others as play partners

 Play independently

 Calm self when stressed or anxious

 Transition smoothly between activities in the home or other settings

Gross Motor Goals

 Roll from stomach to back and from back to stomach

 Get into a sitting position and sit independently

 Creep on hands and knees with tummy off the floor

 Walk independently

 Walk up and down stairs

 Jump forward

 Pedal and steer a tricycle

 Kick, throw and roll a ball

 Move up and down steps on a slide or play structure

Fine Motor Goals

 Reach and grasp objects

 Bring two objects together to bang

 Transfer object from one hand to the other

 Grasp small object with tip of the index finger and thumb

 Release objects into containers

 Stack same size objects

 Use an index finger to activate objects

 Imitate drawing lines on paper

 Assemble toys or objects that require putting pieces together

 Fit shapes into a shape sorter or puzzle

 Turn paper pages of books one at a time

 Use two hands to manipulate objects

Receptive Communication Goals

  Turn and look towards person speaking

 Respond to own name when called

 Follow a person’s pointing gesture

 Identify familiar objects or people

 Identify pictures in familiar books

 Identify pictures in unfamiliar books

 Follow one-step directions

 Follow two-step directions

 Follow person’s gaze to establish joint attention

 Listen to a simple story and pay attention

 Anticipate events in a familiar story by vocalizing or demonstrating what happens next when
asked by an adult

Expressive Communication Goals

 Vocalize different consonant-vowel combinations

 Use gestures to communicate

 Use word approximations

 Ask for help and gain and direct an adult’s attention

 Use single words to communicate

 Use two-word phrases or sentences