For Canadian practices outside Quebec
Occupational therapy goals for kids: a pediatric goal bank by domain and age
Occupational therapy goals for kids describe what a child will do in daily life: write, dress, eat, play, move between activities and take part at school. This goal bank gives original occupational therapy goals examples by domain (handwriting, self-care, sensory regulation, visual motor, play and school routines) and age band, including a starter set for a 4 year old and examples for children on the autism spectrum.
Example goals only. They are not clinical advice, norms or a standard of care. A qualified occupational therapist chooses and reviews every goal for the individual child, with the family.
Last updated: 2026-10-08
Write occupational therapy goals around participation
Occupational therapy goals usually start from an activity that matters to the child and family, then name the skills that sit behind it. Starting from the activity keeps a goal about participation, such as writing a name on a worksheet, rather than about an isolated skill. The table shows the move from activity to goal wording for four fictional examples.
Each finished goal still needs the same parts as any measurable goal: the child, the behaviour, the situation, a measure, the level of support and a review date. The age-band tables below follow that pattern and use bracketed placeholders where a clinician would add a baseline.
| Everyday activity | Skills that may sit behind it | Goal wording starts with |
|---|---|---|
| Writing a name on a worksheet | Grasp, hand strength, letter formation, spacing | The child will write their first name on a worksheet with letters sitting on the line |
| Zipping a jacket before recess | Two-handed coordination, sequencing, persistence | The child will put on and zip a jacket before recess |
| Staying with a group during circle time | Regulation, posture, tolerating noise | The child will stay with the group for the agreed circle time using a strategy of their choice |
| Cutting a craft shape | Scissor control, visual-motor coordination, bilateral hand use | The child will cut along a curved line while holding the paper steady with the other hand |
Examples show structure only. A clinician decides which activities and skills matter for a real child.
Fine motor and handwriting goals by age band
Fine motor goals move from picking up and releasing objects to controlling a pencil, scissors and a keyboard. The age bands describe where goals are commonly written, not what any child should achieve by a given age.
| Age band | Skill | Example goal wording | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| About 2 to 3 years | Grasp and release | The child will pick up large pegs and stickers with a thumb-and-finger grasp and place them in a container in 8 of 10 attempts during a 3-minute activity. | Attempts out of trials |
| About 2 to 3 years | Early drawing | The child will copy vertical and horizontal strokes with a crayon in 3 of 5 attempts after a demonstration. | Strokes copied; demonstration noted |
| About 4 to 5 years | Pencil grasp and shapes | The child will copy a circle, a cross and a square with start and end points that meet, in 2 of 3 attempts for each shape, using a grasp the therapist and family agree is comfortable. | Attempts per shape |
| About 4 to 5 years | Name writing | The child will write their first name with upper- and lower-case letters in the right order in 3 of 4 attempts. | Attempts with a correct sequence |
| About 4 to 5 years | Cutting | The child will cut along a straight line and then a gentle curve, holding the scissors thumb-up and the paper in the other hand, in 4 of 5 lines. | Lines cut within the line |
| About 6 to 8 years | Legibility | The child will copy a two-sentence passage from the board onto lined paper in 5 minutes with letters on the line and spaces between words, rated “easy to read” by the child and teacher in 4 of 5 samples. | Checklist rating by named raters |
| About 6 to 8 years | Tool use | The child will use a ruler to draw a straight line between two marked points while holding the paper steady, in 4 of 5 attempts. | Lines within the agreed tolerance |
| About 9 to 12 years | Writing stamina | The student will write for 10 minutes during a class writing task without a rest break, with writing rated “easy to read” by the teacher in 4 of 5 samples. | Minutes written; teacher rating |
| About 9 to 12 years | Keyboarding | The student will type a three-sentence paragraph using the home-row finger placement taught in sessions, at a speed and accuracy the student and teacher set, in 3 of 4 tries. | Speed and accuracy on a short sample |
Self-care and daily living goals by age band
Self-care goals are easiest to measure when the family helps record them, because the routines happen at home and school. Pair a clinic observation with a short home or school log, and name who recorded each entry.
| Age band | Routine | Example goal wording | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| About 2 to 3 years | Dressing | The child will take off loose socks and an unfastened jacket with no more than one spoken prompt in 4 of 5 daily routines recorded by the caregiver. | Caregiver log |
| About 2 to 3 years | Eating | The child will feed themselves with a spoon, with most of the food staying on the spoon, at 3 of 5 recorded snacks or meals. | Meals out of meals recorded |
| About 4 to 5 years | Dressing | The child will put on and zip a jacket independently in 4 of 5 clinic attempts and on 3 of 5 mornings at home. | Clinic tally plus home log |
| About 4 to 5 years | Mealtimes | The child will use a fork and a spoon to eat a meal, with food mostly staying on the utensil, in 4 of 5 recorded meals. | Meals out of meals recorded |
| About 4 to 5 years | Teeth brushing | The child will complete the teeth-brushing routine using a picture schedule with no more than one spoken prompt, on 5 of 7 days. | Home checklist |
| About 6 to 8 years | Fasteners | The child will tie shoelaces in 4 of 5 attempts without help. | Attempts out of trials |
| About 6 to 8 years | School organization | The child will pack their school bag using a picture checklist with no more than one reminder on 4 of 5 school days. | Family log |
| About 9 to 12 years | Meal preparation | The student will prepare a simple snack by following a recipe card, with an adult nearby, in 2 of 3 attempts. | Attempts out of trials |
| About 9 to 12 years | Hygiene routine | The student will complete a morning hygiene routine from a written checklist, with no adult reminder, on 5 of 7 days. | Home checklist |
Sensory regulation and transition goals, including autism
Write regulation goals with the child. They describe what the child can do to feel ready for an activity or to recover after a hard moment, not how still or quiet the child should be. Strategies come from the child’s own sensory preferences and the family’s routines, and a child can always say no to an activity that feels overwhelming.
These examples are often relevant for children on the autism spectrum and for others who find noise, touch, crowds or changes difficult. They describe participation and choice, and a clinician and family decide what a goal should look like for each child.
| Age band | Focus | Example goal wording | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| About 2 to 3 years | Exploring textures | The child will explore a new textured material for at least 30 seconds, with the option to stop at any time, in 3 of 5 sessions. | Sessions out of sessions |
| About 4 to 5 years | Choosing a strategy | The child will pick a calming strategy from their own picture menu, such as a quiet corner, heavy work or a chew item, with a picture prompt in 4 of 5 moments when upset, as recorded by the caregiver or teacher. | Caregiver or teacher log |
| About 4 to 5 years | Transitions | The child will move from a preferred to a non-preferred activity using a picture schedule and a visual timer, with no more than one reminder, in 4 of 5 transitions. | Transitions out of observed transitions |
| About 6 to 8 years | Body check-ins | The child will name how their body feels on a simple scale (for example “buzzy” or “tired”) and pick one strategy to try in 4 of 5 school check-ins. | Check-ins out of check-ins |
| About 6 to 8 years | Noisy settings | The child will take part in a noisy classroom or gym activity for 10 minutes using agreed supports such as headphones or a seat at the edge, as rated by the child and teacher. | Minutes of participation; rating |
| About 9 to 12 years | Telling an adult what is needed | The student will tell an adult what they need (a break, a quieter spot, less light) with agreed words or a card, before they feel overloaded, on 4 of 5 recorded school days. | Days out of days recorded |
Goals about tolerating or suppressing a sensory response are not shown. Choice and consent are part of the wording.
Visual-motor, play and school routine goals
These goals cover puzzles, copying designs, playing with others and managing materials in class. Play goals fit better when the activity is one the child enjoys, and school goals fit better when the teacher helps choose and record them.
| Age band | Domain | Example goal wording | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| About 2 to 3 years | Visual-motor | The child will complete a four-piece inset puzzle with no more than one demonstration in 4 of 5 trials. | Trials out of trials |
| About 2 to 3 years | Play | The child will play beside a peer with similar toys for 5 minutes, in 3 of 5 sessions. | Minutes; sessions out of sessions |
| About 4 to 5 years | Play | The child will join a simple turn-taking game with one peer for 10 minutes, waiting for their turn with a picture cue, in 3 of 4 sessions. | Sessions out of sessions; cue noted |
| About 6 to 8 years | Visual-motor | The child will copy a six-piece block design from a picture in 3 of 4 attempts. | Attempts out of trials |
| About 6 to 8 years | School routines | The child will set up their desk for a lesson using a checklist (pencil, notebook, tablet) within 3 minutes in 4 of 5 lessons. | Lessons out of lessons; teacher log |
| About 9 to 12 years | Planning | The student will plan a three-step school task with a written sequence and complete the first step without prompting, in 3 of 4 tasks. | Tasks out of tasks |
Occupational therapy goals for a 4 year old: a starter set
Families and new clinicians often ask for occupational therapy goals for a 4 year old. The list below picks one example from each domain above to show how a short plan might read. It is not a checklist of what a 4 year old should do. Whether any of these belong in a plan depends on the assessment and the family’s priorities.
- Fine motor: copy a circle, a cross and a square with start and end points that meet, in 2 of 3 attempts for each shape.
- Pre-writing and cutting: cut along a straight line and then a gentle curve in 4 of 5 lines.
- Self-care: put on and zip a jacket independently in 4 of 5 clinic attempts and on 3 of 5 mornings at home.
- Mealtimes: use a fork and a spoon to eat a meal, with food mostly staying on the utensil, in 4 of 5 recorded meals.
- Regulation: pick a calming strategy from the child’s own picture menu, with a prompt, in 4 of 5 upset moments.
- Play: join a turn-taking game with one peer for 10 minutes in 3 of 4 sessions.
From goal to data: measures occupational therapy teams use
Record a baseline before the first session on a goal and keep the same measure from session to session. For routines at home or school, a short log kept by the family or teacher adds information the clinic cannot see.
| Measure | Used for | How to record it | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attempts out of trials | Shape copying, cutting, tying | Tally successes and total attempts, with the support level | Changing the number of trials between sessions |
| Days or routines out of days | Dressing, packing a bag, hygiene routines | Family or teacher log with a yes or no per routine | Logs are only as complete as the entries; note who completed them |
| Support level | Any routine with prompts | Record the least help that worked: independent, gestural, spoken, physical | Mixing prompt levels in one count |
| Time and duration | Writing stamina, participation, transitions | Minutes of the activity or time to complete a task | Time pressure can change quality; record both |
| Rating by a named rater | Legibility, comfort in noisy settings | A short rating on the same scale each time | Different raters score differently, so record who rated |
Keep occupational therapy goals, sessions and reviews together
A goal bank is a starting point; the goal still has to live in a plan, be measured in sessions and be reviewed. TherapyCRM has a goal library where a practice saves its own goal presets with their data collection sheets, so a therapist can drop the same wording into a treatment plan. Plans carry a version and a review date, clinical notes go through clinician review before publication, and equipment and rooms can be booked with the visit. The goals on this page are not built into the software; copy only the wording the therapist has chosen.
TherapyCRM serves English-language practices in Canada outside Quebec. It is practice management software with a clinical record, not a physician EMR, and has no EMR certification. It has no telehealth or video visits and does not submit insurance or government claims, including Ontario Autism Program claims.
Frequently asked questions
What are examples of occupational therapy goals for kids?
Examples include copying shapes and writing a first name, zipping a jacket, using a fork and spoon, choosing a calming strategy, joining a turn-taking game and packing a school bag. Each one names the child, the behaviour, the situation, a measure, the support and a review date.
What are occupational therapy goals for a 4 year old?
The starter set on this page shows one example per domain: shape copying, cutting, dressing, mealtimes, regulation and play. These are wording examples, not expectations for a 4 year old. The occupational therapist chooses goals after assessing the child and talking with the family.
What are good handwriting goals for kids?
A handwriting goal names the task (copying a sentence, writing a name), the measure (legibility rated by the child and teacher, or minutes written) and the support allowed. The fine motor table above gives examples for ages 2 to 12.
What occupational therapy goals suit a child with autism?
The regulation and transition table gives examples about choosing a strategy, moving between activities and telling an adult what is needed. Goals should reflect choice and participation, and the therapist and family decide what suits the child. Self-care and play goals may also apply.
How are occupational therapy goals different from physiotherapy goals?
Occupational therapy goals centre on everyday activities such as dressing, writing, eating, play and school routines. Physiotherapy goals centre on movement, strength and mobility. A pediatric clinic may have both disciplines work on related activities with separate plans.
Can parents use this list to write goals?
Families can use it to prepare questions and describe priorities to the therapist. Goals for an individual child come from the therapist’s assessment and a conversation with the family, and these examples are not a substitute for that.
Are these goals based on a test or on norms?
No. They are original wording examples with no licensed test items, scores or norms. The age bands describe where goals are commonly written, not what a child should be able to do.
Does TherapyCRM include this occupational therapy goal bank?
No. TherapyCRM has a goal library where a practice saves its own goal presets with their data collection sheets, and plans carry a version and a review date. This page is general guidance, not a feature of the software.