Life Skills and IEP Goals – A Special Education Teacher’s Cheat Sheet

Let’s talk about one of the biggest teacher wins out there: linking life skills and IEP goals. Nothing feels as good as when something fun, functional, and hands-on also hits your IEP targets.

That’s exactly what happens when we use life skills centers intentionally – they become more than just “fun Friday” activities. They become IEP-aligned learning. In this blog post today, I’m sharing how you can link common life skills activities to actual IEP goals (and give admin a gold star reason to let you keep doing them). Plus, I’ve made you a free visual cheat sheet that connects everyday centers to a variety of IEP domains – find it below.

Why Link Life Skills to IEP Goals?

Let’s be honest: sometimes we have to fight to keep life skills on the schedule. They can be the first thing cut when admin is short on time, or the last thing added to an IEP because “academic progress” takes priority.

But when you can say, “This task box supports his fine motor OT goal” or “This hygiene center aligns with her self-care objective,” you’re not just advocating – you’re showing clear data alignment.

Plus, this helps:

• Justify your lesson plans
• Provide clearer progress tracking
• Add value during IEP meetings
• Show parents exactly how you’re working on goals day-to-day

Quick Refresher: What Are IEP Domains?

While these vary a little by region, most IEP goals fall into categories like:

• Communication
• Functional Math
• Functional Reading
• Fine Motor
• Gross Motor
• Self-Care / Daily Living
• Social Skills
• Transition / Independence

Life skills centers naturally hit several of these at once, especially when we scaffold them thoughtfully.

The IEP Target Cheat Sheet

Here’s a sneak peek at how common life skills centers can support real IEP goals:

Real-World Examples

Let’s take a closer look at a few of these in action…

Matching Socks

You might just see a tray of mismatched socks. But here’s what your student is working on:

• Functional Math: Matching patterns or colors
• Visual Discrimination: Spotting details and differences
• Sorting & Organizing: Beginning classification skills
• Fine Motor: Picking up and manipulating fabric

IEP Example:

“Student will independently match at least 4 pairs of identical objects with 80% accuracy over 3 sessions.”

Dressing a Bear for the Weather

So simple. So powerful. Students choose weather-appropriate clothes for a stuffed animal or printed visual. It targets:

• Sequencing (first jacket, then hat…)
• Self-care awareness
• Fine motor (manipulating clothes)
• Expressive language (talking through choices)

IEP Example:

“Student will identify appropriate clothing for a given weather condition in 4 out of 5 trials.”

Hygiene Sequencing Center

Students use visual supports to follow a daily hygiene routine – brushing teeth, washing hands, or getting dressed. This supports:

• Self-care IEP goals
• Sequencing and transition steps
• Communication (labeling routines, using visual cues)
• Motor planning

IEP Example:

“Student will follow a 3-step hygiene routine with no more than 1 prompt.”

Making a Sandwich (Adapted Book)

Whether it’s a real sandwich or a visual step-by-step activity, this hits:

• OT goals (grasp, movement, cutting, etc.)
• Sequencing
• Functional reading (following picture steps)
• Safety and choice-making

IEP Example:

“Student will complete a 5-step task with visual supports and no more than 1 verbal prompt.”

Grocery Store Role-Play

Add a cash register, a few laminated food pics, and a mini shopping list, and you’ve got:

• Money skills
• Problem solving
• Functional reading
• Communication (asking for help, choices)

IEP Example:

“Student will identify coin values up to $1 and use them to make purchases with 80% accuracy.”

Helpful Tips for Linking Life Skills to IEPs

Keep your data collection simple.
Create a quick checklist of goals for each center and jot notes on post-its, clipboards, or Google Forms.

Use the same task in different ways.
E.g., Sock matching can start as color matching and later be turned into a math pattern center or independent dressing task.

Connect with your OT, PT, and SLP.
Ask them what goals they’re targeting – you may already be supporting them with your life skills centers!

Talk about it in your IEP meetings.
Let parents and staff know: “We’re working on this goal every Thursday during our centers. Here’s a photo.”

You’re not “just matching socks.”
You’re building skills that change lives.

Life skills centers can be fun and hands-on, but they’re also deeply valuable academic tools. With the right intention and a little tracking, you’ll be amazed at how much progress they can help your students make. And the best part? You don’t have to justify them anymore, the data does that for you.

If you found this blog post helpful, please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues on social media, it helps more teachers find support, and it means the world to me and my little family too.

And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out my Free Resource Library for tons of classroom tools, visuals, and printables to make your teaching life easier (and a whole lot more fun!).

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Nikki