Life Skills IEP Goal Ideas (With Free Practice Sheets)
Life skills goals are some of the most useful goals a student can have, because every one of them shows up again outside of school: at the register, at the bus stop, at the doctor’s office. This article collects example goals by skill area and explains how to practice and measure each one with short, printable sheets.
These are starting points, not ready-made goals. Every goal should come from the student’s present levels and be agreed on by the IEP team.
What a clear life skills goal includes
Most well-written goals answer four questions:
- What will the student do? One observable skill, such as “determine whether they have enough money.”
- Under what conditions? For example, “given a price up to $10 and a set of bills.”
- How well? A criterion such as 80% accuracy, or 4 out of 5 items.
- How often, and for how long? For example, “across 3 consecutive sessions.”
Keeping the skill small makes progress easier to see. “Will improve money skills” is hard to measure. “Will decide if they have enough money for one item” is not.
Money
- Given a price up to $10 and a single bill, the student will determine whether they have enough money to buy the item with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions. Practice: Do I Have Enough Money?
- Given a set of up to 6 bills and coins, the student will count the total value with 80% accuracy. Practice: Counting Money
- Given a whole-dollar price and a $5 or $10 bill, the student will state the change due in 4 out of 5 trials. Practice: Making Change
- Given a simple menu and a $10 budget, the student will choose two items that fit the budget in 4 out of 5 trials. Practice: Menu Math
Time and calendars
- Given an analog clock showing times to the hour and half hour, the student will write the time with 80% accuracy. Practice: Telling Time
- Given a monthly calendar, the student will identify the day of the week for a given date in 4 out of 5 trials. Practice: Reading a Calendar
- Given a daily schedule, the student will name the next activity without prompting on 4 out of 5 school days. Make a visual schedule
Community and safety
- Given 6 common community signs, the student will match each sign to its meaning with 5 out of 6 correct. Practice: Community Signs
- During a community outing, the student will point to or read 3 safety signs and state what they mean, with no more than one prompt.
Personal information and forms
- Given a sample ID card, the student will copy name, address and phone number onto a form with no more than one error. Practice: Filling Out Forms
- Given a blank form, the student will write their own first and last name, address and phone number independently in 4 out of 5 trials.
Using worksheets to track progress
Worksheets are handy for data collection because the student’s work is already on paper. A few habits make that data more reliable:
- Use a new version each time. If a student sees the same page twice, they may remember answers rather than show the skill. Every sheet on this site creates a new version each time you click New version.
- Keep the level the same while you measure. Change the level only after the student meets the criterion.
- Write the date and the level on each sheet and keep them in a folder. Graphing the percentage correct each week makes progress easy to share at IEP meetings.
- Note the support given. A score with reading support is different from a score without it.
From paper to real life
Paper practice is a step, not the finish line. Once a student is accurate on a sheet, try the same skill with real money, a real calendar or a real sign on a walk around school. Many teams write a second, smaller goal for using the skill in a real setting.
Free sheets for each area
All of the practice sheets linked above are free, need no account, and come in three levels. You can print them on US Letter or A4, and choose US, Canadian, UK, Australian or Irish money. Browse them all in the Life Skills section.