Daily Living Skills IEP Goals: Hygiene, Dressing and Mealtime Examples

A good daily living skills IEP goal names a single routine, lists its steps, and counts what the student does without adult help. Daily living skills are the routines a person runs every day to look after themselves and their space: personal hygiene and grooming, toileting, dressing, eating and preparing food, cleaning up, and laundry and household care.

Many life skills IEP goals target these routines, and classrooms already run them every day or every week, so each goal gets regular practice and regular data. About half of the 18 worked goals count independent steps; the rest count minutes, opportunities or checklist items.

Daily living skills IEP goals on this page

• Hygiene and grooming (H1–H6)
• Getting dressed (D1–D4)
• Eating and preparing food (M1–M5)
• Cleaning up and laundry (C1–C2) and the laundry goal, C3
• 22 more life skills IEP goals to adapt, by grade band

Daily living skills IEP goals by routine

Each goal’s baseline comes from probes of the routine’s step list, or task analysis (see the step-list section). Prompt codes (I, G, V, P) are defined with the data sheet. Adapt every goal to the student: the IRIS Center notes that “using stock or prewritten goals that are not individualized does not meet the requirements of IDEA” (IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University).

Beginning not later than the first IEP in effect when the student turns 16 (or younger, if the IEP team decides), IDEA requires measurable postsecondary goals, based on age-appropriate transition assessments, related to training, education, employment and, “where appropriate, independent living skills” (34 CFR §300.320(b)). Transition services can include, “if appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills” (34 CFR §300.43(a)). The Grades 9–12 and 18–22 goals below are annual goals that can support that postsecondary goal.

Hygiene and grooming

H1 [Grades K–5] Toothbrushing. By [date], after lunch at the classroom sink, with a picture sequence posted above the sink and a visual timer, [Student] will complete the 8-step toothbrushing routine with at least 7 steps done independently and no physical prompts on 4 of 5 consecutive school days, as measured by a staff task-analysis checklist scored by prompt level (I, G, V, P).
Baseline (3 probes): 2, 2 and 3 of 8 steps independent; physical prompts on 2–3 steps each time (toothpaste and brushing).

The 8 steps are in the data sheet below; the timer runs for the time the team sets.

H2 [Grades K–5] Wiping a runny nose. By [date], when their nose runs during class, with tissues and hand sanitizer on the table, [Student] will get a tissue, wipe, put it in the bin and use sanitizer, all 4 steps with no adult prompt, in 8 of the last 10 observed opportunities spread over at least 3 weeks, as measured by a staff opportunity tally (date and any step prompted).
Baseline (observed opportunities over 2 weeks): all 4 steps with no prompt in 1 of 6.

An opportunity starts when staff see a runny nose. Where district policy calls for handwashing, swap it in for sanitizer.

H3 [Grades 6–8] After PE. By [date], after PE, with a 3-item check card kept in the locker, [Student] will put on deodorant, change from PE clothes into school clothes and pack their bag before leaving the changing area, ticking each item on the card, with all 3 done and no reminder from PE staff on 9 of 10 consecutive PE classes, as measured by the student’s self-check card, which the PE paraprofessional checks at the door with the two items they can see.
Baseline (5 PE classes, before the card): all 3 items done without a reminder in 2 of 5 classes (deodorant by student report).

H4 [Grades 6–8] Morning grooming check. By [date], on arrival at homeroom, with a 4-item mirror card (hair neat as the student and family define it, face clean, shirt free of visible food or stains, glasses clean) used privately at the student’s desk or the hallway mirror, [Student] will check each item and fix any that is off without being told, with all 4 items met or fixed and no prompt on 8 of 10 school days in 2 consecutive weeks, as measured by the homeroom teacher’s 4-item check (about 30 seconds, never announced). A spare shirt or a cover-up counts as fixed.
Baseline (5 days): all 4 items met or fixed without a prompt on 0 of 5 days; median 1 of 4 items.

H5 [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] Ready for a shift. By [date], before clocking in at a work-based learning site, with a 5-item card built from the site’s dress and hygiene rules, [Student] will put on a clean uniform, tie or cover their hair as the site requires, check that their nails are clean, put on deodorant and freshen their breath in the staff restroom, marking each item on the card, with the 3 visible items met at clock-in and the other 2 marked, with no reminder from the job coach, on 5 consecutive shifts, as measured by the job coach (or a trained site supervisor), who checks the visible items and the student’s card.
Baseline (3 shifts): criterion met on 0 of 3 shifts; a median of 2 of the 3 visible items met at clock-in, and the other 2 marked on 1 of 3 shifts.

H6 [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] Evening routine at home (home measure). By [date], at home, using a morning-and-evening personal care checklist the student wrote and posted where the routine happens, [Student] will complete every evening item without a reminder on 5 of 7 evenings for 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by the student’s nightly check-offs, initialed weekly by a family member and reviewed at a weekly school check-in where the teacher records the week’s count.
Baseline (1 week, family report): 2 of 7 evenings without a reminder.

Attach the checklist to H6 so “every item” stays fixed. The family log is a generalization check; measuring and reporting progress stays the school’s job. If the log stops coming back, report the home data as missing and agree another way for the family to report.

Getting dressed

D1 [Grades K–5] Shoes after rest. By [date], after rest time or a sensory break, with their hook-and-loop shoes beside the mat, [Student] will sit, open the strap, put a foot in and fasten the strap for each shoe, all 4 steps with no more than a gestural prompt, in 4 of the last 5 opportunities spread across 2 consecutive weeks, as measured by a staff task-analysis checklist.
Baseline (3 probes): all 4 steps at gestural or less in 0 of 3; physical prompts on 3 of 4 steps each time.

D2 [Grades 6–8] Changing for PE. By [date], at the start and end of PE, with a 5-picture changing card in the locker, [Student] will change clothes and leave the changing area in a median time under 8 minutes per change across 2 consecutive weeks of PE, with no change over 10 minutes and no more than 1 reminder per class, as measured by the PE paraprofessional’s record of time in, time out and reminders, kept from the door.
Baseline (5 classes): median 15 minutes per change, with about 3 reminders per class.

D3 [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] Dressing for the weather. By [date], before a community-based instruction outing, with a weather app on their phone and a picture guide that matches temperature ranges to outerwear, [Student] will check the forecast and put on and fasten the matching outerwear before line-up, with no prompt, on 6 of the last 7 outings, spanning at least 2 of the guide’s temperature ranges, as measured by the teacher’s outing log.
Baseline (6 outings): both parts with no prompt on 0 of 6; correct outerwear on 2 of 6, forecast checked on 0 of 6.

Goals for the outing itself, such as crossing streets and riding transit, are in our community safety goals by setting.

D4 [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] Uniform at a food-service site. By [date], at a food-service work-based learning site, following the site’s posted sequence, [Student] will put on an apron, a hairnet (all hair inside, including at the ears) and a name badge and be at their station within 5 minutes of signing in, with all 3 items correct and no prompt from the job coach, on 8 of 10 consecutive shifts, as measured by the job coach’s (or a trained site supervisor’s) timer and 3-item check.
Baseline (3 shifts): ready in 5 minutes with all 3 correct on 0 of 3 shifts; median 11 minutes, with the hairnet on incorrectly every time.

Eating and preparing food

M1 [Grades K–5] Opening lunch items. By [date], at lunch, with up to 5 packaged items (milk carton, yogurt, wrapped sandwich, snack bag, water bottle) and a help card on the table, [Student] will open each item or hold up the help card after 2 real tries, for every item and with no staff member stepping in first, on 4 of 5 consecutive lunch days, as measured by the lunch aide’s 5-item tally.
Baseline (3 lunch days): every item handled on 0 of 3 days; opened 1 of 5 items each day and waited without asking for the rest.

M2 [Grades 6–8] A cold wrap or sandwich. By [date], during the weekly cooking session in the classroom kitchen, with a 10-step picture recipe for a cold wrap or sandwich the student will eat (checked with the family) and a 60-second video model shown before the session, [Student] will complete at least 9 of 10 steps independently on 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by a staff task-analysis checklist scored I, G, V, P.
Baseline (3 sessions): 3, 3 and 4 of 10 steps independent (median 3).

The recipe card is the step list; start it with handwashing.

If reading the card is the hard part, add a reading goal for following recipes.

M3 [Grades 6–8] Heating a meal in the microwave. By [date], at the classroom microwave, with a packaged meal and an oven mitt beside it, [Student] will complete 9 steps ((1) read the time on the package, (2) vent the film, (3) set the time, (4) start, (5) wait for the beep, (6) remove the meal with the mitt, (7) peel the film back away from the face, (8) stir, (9) let it stand for the time on the package), with at least 8 independent in 4 of the last 5 sessions and step 6 independent in all 5, as measured by a staff checklist with the critical step marked.
Baseline (3 sessions): median 2 of 9 steps independent; reached in without the mitt in 2 of 3 sessions.

M4 [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] A one-pot pasta meal. By [date], in the classroom kitchen, given a picture-and-word recipe card for a one-pot pasta meal, [Student] will complete the 12-step routine with at least 11 steps independent and no critical safety errors in 3 consecutive weekly cooking sessions, and then once in a second kitchen with a different adult, as measured by a staff task-analysis checklist scored I, G, V, P with a critical-error row.
Baseline (3 sessions): 4, 5 and 5 of 12 steps independent; a critical error in 2 of 3 sessions (burner left on once; reached for the hot pot without a mitt once).

The 12 steps, with the critical steps marked:

1. Wash hands.
2. Fill the pot to the marked line.
3. Set it on the burner with the handle turned inward (critical).
4. Turn the burner to the marked setting.
5. Add the pasta when the water boils.
6. Set the timer from the card.
7. Stir once halfway.
8. Turn the burner off and check it (critical).
9. Drain through the pot’s strainer lid with mitts on (critical).
10. Stir in the sauce.
11. Serve.
12. Put the pot in the sink to soak.

A critical error is any critical step not done independently and correctly; staff step in before any harm, however the step is scored. A critical error resets the count of 3 sessions to zero even if the step count is met, and the second-kitchen probe must meet the same standard.

M5 [Grades K–5] Pouring a drink. By [date], at snack, with a small pitcher filled to its line and a cup marked with a fill line, [Student] will pour to the cup’s line without spilling and with no physical prompt on 8 of 10 snack days over 2 consecutive weeks, as measured by a snack checklist (poured to the line Y/N, spill Y/N, prompt level). “To the line” means at the line or just under it, and any liquid on the table is a spill.
Baseline (5 snack days): all three met on 0 of 5; no spill on 2 of 5; physical prompt on 3 of 5.

Cleaning up and laundry

C1 [Grades K–5] Clearing a spot at the table. By [date], at the end of lunch or snack, with a trash bin, a recycling bin and a wipe at the table, [Student] will put trash in the bin, put recyclables in their bin, wipe their spot and push in the chair, all 4 steps with no more than 1 gestural prompt, on 9 of the last 10 school days, as measured by a lunch aide checklist.
Baseline (3 days): criterion met on 0 of 3 days; median 1 of 4 steps independent.

C2 [Grades 6–8] Washing dishes. By [date], after the weekly cooking session, with labeled cupboards, [Student] will scrape, wash in soapy water, rinse, rack, dry and put away the session’s dishes, with 6 of 6 steps independent on 3 consecutive sessions, the last with a different adult, as measured by a staff task-analysis checklist.
Baseline (median of 3 sessions): 2 of 6 steps independent.

Staff wash the knives, and the team sets the water temperature.

C3 [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] Laundry: written out in full in the rewrite below.

Why “95% accuracy” doesn’t work for a routine

This page used to carry this laundry goal:

“Laundry Skills: By (date), the student will independently sort, wash, and fold their laundry, completing the task weekly with 95% accuracy, improving from initial supervised sessions.”

As written, this goal can’t be measured, for three reasons:

• “95% accuracy” has no denominator. Of what: loads, steps, items folded?
• “Improving from initial supervised sessions” is not a baseline. There is no number from before teaching began.
• “Independently” isn’t defined, and three skills (sort, wash, fold) hide inside one pass/fail score. A student who learns 6 of 10 steps shows no progress at all.

C3, rewritten. By [date], in the school laundry room, with a picture card for the washer cycle and a line marked on the detergent cap, [Student] will complete the 10-step laundry routine with at least 9 steps independent on 3 consecutive weekly loads, and then once at a laundromat during community-based instruction, as measured by a staff task-analysis checklist scored I, G, V, P.
Baseline (3 loads): 3, 3 and 4 of 10 steps independent.

The steps: (1) sort lights and darks, (2) load to the fill mark, (3) measure detergent to the cap line, (4) pour it into the dispenser, (5) choose the cycle on the picture card, (6) start the washer, (7) move the clothes to the dryer, (8) clean the lint trap, (9) start the dryer, (10) fold and put away. At the laundromat, staff handle payment and the student meets the same 9-of-10 standard.

With the step list, the progress report can say “6 of 10 steps independent in October, up from 3”, or 60% of the 10 steps.

22 more life skills IEP goals to adapt

Set each row’s numbers from the student’s own baseline, taken in the row’s unit, before it goes into an IEP.

Write the step list before you take a baseline

Watch a peer or an adult do the routine where the student will do it, and write one observable action per step; six to twelve steps usually works. Decide where the routine starts (the student walks to the sink) and where it ends (the brush is back in the bin), and mark any critical safety step, such as using the mitt at the microwave.

Every adult uses the identical list, codes and prompt order. If one para scores “spit and rinse” as one step and another scores it as two, the data can’t be compared.

Take the three baseline probes before teaching starts, scoring each step as on the data sheet below with no extra instruction, and report the median in the criterion’s own unit in the present levels.

The same list supplies short-term objectives. IDEA requires “a description of benchmarks or short-term objectives” for students who take alternate assessments aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (34 CFR §300.320(a)(2)(ii)). With forward chaining, objective 1 might be steps 1–4 independent on 3 sessions in a row by the first progress report; with backward chaining, as in D1, the objectives start from the last step. Your state or district may require objectives for more students than IDEA does, so check yours.

If the starting point is an adaptive behavior rating scale, use our framework for turning adaptive assessment results into goals first.

Teaching the chain: forward, backward or the whole task

The National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative rates forward, backward and total task chaining “promising” for secondary students with intellectual disability (NTACT:C, 2022). “Promising” is the lowest of NTACT:C’s three levels, below research-based and evidence-based, so describe it to families that way.

• Forward chaining. Steps are taught “in their naturally occurring order”: teach step 1 to criterion, then add step 2, while the adult supports the rest.
• Backward chaining. The adult does every step except the last, the student finishes, and then the student takes on the next-to-last step. It suits students who need the payoff of finishing, which is why D1 (shoes) uses it.
• Total task chaining. The student works on every step in every session, with prompts where needed. It fits routines where the student already does some steps, as in M2, M4 and C3.

Any of these chaining methods can add the following supports. Video modeling (as in M2) is rated evidence-based by NTACT:C for secondary students with intellectual disability, among others. Visual supports (as in H1’s picture sequence) and time delay are on NCAEP’s list of evidence-based practices, from a review of research with autistic children, youth and young adults (Steinbrenner et al., 2020).

Fading prompts one step at a time

Prompt fading means reducing adult help in planned steps until the student does each step alone. Each step can sit at a different prompt level on the same day. Pick a fading method per routine and write it into the plan.

• Most-to-least. Start with the most help the step needs (NTACT:C’s definition starts with physical guidance) and reduce it as sessions go well. Use it where errors are costly, such as M4’s critical steps. At a hot stove, starting with a model or light physical help is a common practice; the team and occupational therapist decide the starting level.
• Least-to-most. Give the student a chance first, then a gesture, then a verbal prompt, then physical help. Use it when the student already knows most of the steps.
• Wait time (time delay). Begin with 0-second trials, prompting right away, then wait before prompting. NTACT:C describes a constant delay (a fixed wait, such as 3 or 5 seconds) and a progressive one (a wait that grows over sessions, often a second at a time).

For most-to-least routines, agree one rule for every adult: step down one level after the student succeeds at the current level on 3 recorded sessions in a row. That number is a team rule; write it where substitutes will find it. Weekly routines (M2, M4, C2, C3) move slowly under it, so the team can count extra practice sessions or use a shorter rule for them.

A student who keeps waiting for an adult to say “wet the brush” may have come to depend on that prompt. Check the wait time and any motor or sensory barrier first; then fade adult talk. The picture card can stay for good: if the IEP writes it into the condition, steps the student completes with it, unprompted, count as independent, and an adult pointing at it is a gestural prompt.

Physical prompting follows the student’s IEP, behavior plan or personal care plan. Some students can’t tolerate hand-over-hand guidance, and some plans limit it; hand-under-hand, with the student’s hand leading, is a common alternative for the team and occupational therapist to consider.

Recording prompt levels, step by step

Score every step by the least prompt that got it done. I means the student starts the step within the wait time the team sets after finishing the last one, with no adult prompt of any kind. G is a gesture or point, V a verbal prompt, P any physical help. Teams can add a model code or split partial from full physical help.

Record every session of a weekly routine such as cooking, and at least twice a week for daily ones. Once two probes in a row reach the criterion’s step count, score every day, because the criterion counts consecutive days. Fill in each column right after the routine. Here is H1’s sheet, with three baseline probes and two later ones (entries in between not shown):

The 10/13 probe reached 7 of 8 for one day; the criterion needs 4 of 5 consecutive school days, so the goal is not met yet.

To graph it, plot “% of steps independent” for each probe against an aim line from the baseline median (25%) to the criterion (88%, or 7 of 8) at the goal date, with the physical-prompt count beside it, because the goal needs both.

Print a blank copy (one page, no sign-up): Download the checklist and rubric data sheet (PDF, one page)

Review the data every 2 weeks. IDEA requires the IEP to describe how progress will be measured and when progress reports will be provided (34 CFR §300.320(a)(3)). The decision rules below are team rules, following the idea behind the National Center on Intensive Intervention’s data-based individualization: “frequently review student data and make changes to their teaching based on what works for students” (NCII).

• One step sits at the same code for 6 recorded sessions. Change the teaching for that step only: a clearer picture, a model, splitting it into two steps, or backward-chaining it.
• The criterion is met. Probe once with a second adult at a second sink before calling it mastered, then run a maintenance probe 4 weeks later.

When lunch aides, PE paraprofessionals, homeroom teachers or job coaches keep the data, their training can be written into the IEP’s “supports for school personnel” (34 CFR §300.320(a)(4)), and keep the sheets in the student’s file to back up each progress report.

For families, two sentences from the sheet do the job: “Brushed with no help on 7 of 8 steps on October 13, up from 2 of 8 in early September. The goal needs that on 4 school days out of 5 in a row, and [Student] is on track for [date].”

When the routine happens at home or in private

Toileting, changing and menstrual care need extra planning. Which adults assist, how many, and how any data is kept follow the student’s IEP or health plan and the district’s personal care procedure; check that procedure before writing the goal.

For students who manage mostly on their own, use measures taken from outside the changing area, as H3 and D2 do. Don’t discuss hygiene in front of peers.

Bring in the occupational therapist when brushing, hair care, fasteners or clothing textures are a sensory or motor barrier, and show that time on the IEP’s services page. Bring in the school nurse for health-related care and food allergies. Cooking goals use recipes checked with the family for allergies and for dietary, religious or cultural needs.

A sudden change in self-care can signal a health or mental-health concern. Tell the nurse or school mental health staff, and the family, unless there’s a sign of neglect or abuse. That goes through your state’s mandated-reporting law and the district’s procedure before anyone contacts the family; in many states, telling a designated staff member doesn’t replace your own report.

Questions teams ask about daily living goals

Can you give some examples of daily living skills IEP goals?

Yes. H1 is typical: an 8-step toothbrushing routine at the classroom sink, with at least 7 steps independent and no physical prompts. The page has 18 worked goals across hygiene, dressing, meals and cleanup, and the table of 22 more gives shorter starting points for each grade band.

What are some important goals for independent living?

Target the routines the student will need after leaving school, and choose them from age-appropriate transition assessments. On this page, those include getting ready for a shift (H5), dressing for the weather (D3), cooking a one-pot meal (M4) and doing laundry (C3), plus storing leftovers and making a bed from the table.

What are some good life skills math IEP goals?

Put the math inside a routine the student already does. For example: By [date], during the weekly cooking session, given a picture recipe card and measuring cups, [Student] will measure 4 ingredients to the amounts on the card, all 4 correct, on 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by a staff checklist (correct or not, per ingredient). Money goals, such as paying at a register, are in the functional money skills IEP goals listed under related resources at the end of this page.

What daily living goals fit students with significant support needs?

Goals that keep the whole routine and count a smaller part of it. Backward chaining lets the student finish the routine from the first session, as in D1, and a criterion of “no more than a gestural prompt” records real progress before full independence. A help card or a communication device turns a step the student can’t do yet into one they can, as in M1.

A Grades 9–10 lesson where students build their own personal care routine

Early in the “Personal Care” lesson, from Ori Learning’s Transition Curriculum (Transition Grades 9–10 course), a poll asks students to name one thing they do every day to take care of themselves. Then the lesson explains what products do: cleansers remove dirt and sweat, deodorants and mouthwashes destroy odor-causing bacteria, lotions add moisture, and sunscreen helps protect skin from the sun.

Each student picks one practice to improve and a reminder for it: a phone alert, a sticky note on the mirror, or the item left where they’ll see it. “Building new routines can take time. Having a visual reminder can help you stick with a personal care practice long enough for it to become a habit.”

The lesson has three tiered activities. In Task A, students match products to situations such as basketball outside after school. Task B has them read about Quinn, Alex and Evan and choose what each should add to their routine. In Task C, they build their own morning and evening routine, products in the order they’ll use them, on paper or digitally.

The course is written for students who read short texts on their own. For them, a Task C routine can seed the checklist for an H6-type home goal, once the team turns it into fixed, observable items, so the order the family checks is the student’s own.

Explore the Transition Curriculum.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Education. 34 CFR §300.320, Definition of individualized education program, paragraphs (a)(2)(ii), (a)(3), (a)(4) and (b)(1). eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/part-300/section-300.320
2. U.S. Department of Education. 34 CFR §300.43, Transition services, paragraph (a)(2)(v). eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/part-300/section-300.43
3. National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C). (2022, June). Effective practices in secondary transition: Operational definitions. https://transitionta.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/Updated_EBP_Definitions_June_2022.pdf
4. Steinbrenner, J. R., Hume, K., Odom, S. L., Morin, K. L., Nowell, S. W., Tomaszewski, B., Szendrey, S., McIntyre, N. S., Yücesoy-Özkan, S., & Savage, M. N. (2020). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice Review Team. https://ncaep.fpg.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/EBP-Report-2020.pdf
5. National Center on Intensive Intervention. Data-based individualization. American Institutes for Research. https://intensiveintervention.org/data-based-individualization
6. The IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University. IEPs: Developing high-quality individualized education programs, Page 7: Challenging, ambitious, measurable annual goals. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/iep01/cresource/q3/p07/

Related IEP Goal Resources

• writing SMART IEP goals
• independent functioning IEP goals
• functional money skills IEP goals