When a child receives speech therapy, one of the first questions families and educators ask is: “What goals make sense for this age?” It’s a smart question. Speech and language skills build step-by-step, and therapy goals should match a child’s current strengths, needs, and daily demands at home and school.
This guide breaks down common speech therapy goals by age range. It’s written to be easy to scan, but it also includes enough detail to help school teams, caregivers, and therapists speak the same language when planning support. Keep in mind: children develop at different rates, and goals should always be individualized based on assessment results, classroom expectations, and functional communication needs.
First, a quick note: speech vs. language vs. social communication
“Speech therapy” is often used as an umbrella term. In schools, therapy may target several areas:
Speech sound production (articulation/phonology): how clearly a child says sounds and words.
Language: understanding (receptive) and using (expressive) words, sentences, and concepts.
Social communication (pragmatics): using language appropriately in conversation, play, and classroom interactions.
Fluency: smoothness of speech (stuttering).
Voice: pitch, loudness, and vocal quality.
Feeding/oral motor (more common in medical settings): chewing, swallowing, and related skills.
In a school setting, goals typically focus on skills that support educational access and participation.
Ages 0–2: Early communication and first words
For infants and toddlers, goals often focus on building the foundations of communication: attention, turn-taking, gestures, and early words. Many children benefit from strategies that help them communicate before speech is fully developed.
Common goal areas
Joint attention: looking at an adult and an object/activity together.
Gestures and early communication: pointing, waving, reaching, showing, nodding.
Imitation: copying sounds, actions, and simple words.
First words and word combinations: moving from single words to two-word phrases.
Understanding simple directions: “give me,” “come here,” “put in.”
Example therapy goals (simple examples)
Child will use gestures (pointing, reaching, showing) to request or protest during play in 4 out of 5 opportunities.
Child will imitate 10 functional words or word approximations across daily routines.
Child will follow 1-step directions with familiar objects in structured play with minimal cues.
Ages 2–3: Expanding vocabulary and combining words
During this stage, many children rapidly grow vocabulary and begin combining words. Speech sound clarity may still be developing, but the focus is often on being understood and communicating needs, ideas, and feelings.
Common goal areas
Vocabulary growth: nouns, verbs, descriptors, and early concepts (big/little, in/on).
2–3 word phrases: “more juice,” “mommy go work.”
Early grammar: plurals, simple pronouns, basic sentence structure.
Speech sound development: reducing patterns like leaving off final sounds (e.g., “ca” for “cat”).
Example therapy goals
Child will use 2–3 word phrases to request, comment, or protest during routines in 80% of opportunities.
Child will label common actions (run, eat, open) during play with minimal cues.
Child will produce final consonants in CVC words (e.g., “cat,” “bus”) with visual cues in 70% of trials.
Ages 3–5: Preschool language, speech clarity, and early social skills
Preschoolers are learning to tell simple stories, answer questions, and participate in group activities. Therapy goals often support readiness for kindergarten: following directions, asking for help, and being understood by unfamiliar listeners.
Common goal areas
Speech intelligibility: improving clarity so teachers and peers understand.
Answering and asking questions: who/what/where questions first, then why/how.
Narrative skills: describing events in order (first/next/last).
Social communication: turn-taking, topic maintenance, requesting, problem-solving.
Early phonological awareness: rhyming, syllables, beginning sounds (often in collaboration with literacy instruction).
Example therapy goals
Child will produce targeted speech sounds (e.g., /k/, /g/, /f/) in words and short phrases with 80% accuracy.
Child will answer “wh-” questions about a short picture book with visual supports in 4 out of 5 trials.
Child will retell a simple event with at least 3 key details (who, what, where) using a visual organizer.
Ages 5–7: Early elementary language for learning
In kindergarten through grade 2, language becomes a learning tool. Students must understand classroom directions, learn new vocabulary daily, and explain their thinking. Speech sound goals may continue, but language goals often shift toward academic participation.
Common goal areas
Following multi-step directions: “Get your notebook, write your name, and circle the date.”
Sentence structure and grammar: complete sentences, verb tenses, pronouns.
Vocabulary and concepts: categories, describing, comparing.
Speech sound carryover: using correct sounds in conversation, not just drill practice.
Early reading/language connection: understanding story elements, sequencing, basic inferencing.
Example therapy goals
Student will follow 2–3 step oral directions with embedded concepts (before/after, first/last) with 80% accuracy.
Student will produce targeted sounds in conversational speech during classroom-like tasks in 80% of opportunities.
Student will describe an object using 3 attributes (category, function, appearance) with minimal cues.
Ages 8–10: Building academic language and stronger conversation skills
By grades 3–5, students are expected to explain, summarize, compare, and justify. Language demands increase in every subject area, and social communication becomes more nuanced as peer relationships grow.
Common goal areas
Reading comprehension language: main idea, details, inferencing, predicting.
Written expression support: organizing ideas, sentence combining, using transition words.
Word learning strategies: prefixes/suffixes, context clues, multiple-meaning words.
Conversation: staying on topic, asking follow-up questions, repairing misunderstandings.
Fluency (if needed): reducing tension, increasing confidence, using strategies in class.
Example therapy goals
Student will use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in grade-level text with 80% accuracy.
Student will produce a spoken summary including main idea and 3 supporting details using a graphic organizer.
Student will use a conversational repair strategy (repeat, rephrase, clarify) when communication breaks down in 4 out of 5 opportunities.
Ages 11–14: Middle school communication for independence
Middle schoolers face fast-paced classes, multiple teachers, and heavier workloads. Therapy goals often focus on self-advocacy, organization of language, and social communication in group work.
Common goal areas
Executive-function language supports: planning, organizing, and explaining steps.
Complex sentences: using conjunctions, explaining cause/effect.
Figurative language: idioms, sarcasm, nonliteral meanings.
Social communication: perspective-taking, group discussion skills, interpreting tone.
Fluency/voice supports: strategies for presentations and classroom participation.
Example therapy goals
Student will explain a multi-step process (e.g., science lab procedure) using sequence words and clear organization in 4 out of 5 trials.
Student will interpret figurative language in context and explain the intended meaning with 80% accuracy.
Student will demonstrate self-advocacy by requesting clarification or repetition in class-roleplay scenarios in 4 out of 5 opportunities.
Ages 15–18: High school goals for real-world communication
In high school, communication goals often connect directly to life after graduation: workplace readiness, interviews, presentations, and navigating complex social situations. Therapy may also support students with ongoing language needs that affect reading, writing, and comprehension across content areas.
Common goal areas
Functional communication: emails, interviews, asking for help, clarifying expectations.
Advanced comprehension: summarizing lectures, extracting key information, note-taking language.
Pragmatics in real settings: workplace conversations, conflict resolution, group projects.
Speech clarity and confidence: intelligibility, rate, presentation skills.
Example therapy goals
Student will deliver a 2–3 minute presentation using an outline, appropriate volume, and clear pacing with a self-rating checklist.
Student will write a professional email (greeting, purpose, details, closing) with minimal prompts in 4 out of 5 attempts.
Student will participate in a group discussion by making relevant comments and asking at least one follow-up question per activity.
What makes a strong speech therapy goal (at any age)?
Whether a student is 3 or 17, effective goals tend to share the same features:
Functional: tied to real communication needs (classroom, home, peers).
Measurable: clear criteria for success (accuracy, frequency, independence).
Supportive of access: helps the student participate in learning and routines.
Generalizable: practiced in more than one setting, not just during therapy time.
Strength-based: builds on what the student already does well.
How online therapy can support school teams
Online speech therapy can be a practical way for schools to maintain consistent services, especially when staffing is tight or students need specialized support. With the right tools, students can practice speech sounds, build language skills, and work on social communication in engaging, interactive sessions—while school teams receive progress updates and strategies that carry into the classroom.
At TinyEYE, we partner with schools to provide online therapy services that fit educational goals and student schedules. Collaboration matters: when educators, families, and therapists align on priorities, students are more likely to use their skills beyond the therapy session.
For more information, please follow this link.
