Goal Setting Strategies for Students and SLPs After the Holiday Break

by Erin Larsen January 24, 2026

Hey, speech friend! 👋🏼

Coming back to therapy after the holiday break can feel… a little chaotic. Routines are rusty, attention spans are short, and everyone—students and therapists alike—is adjusting back to expectations.

If you’ve ever thought, “Okay… where do we even start?”—you’re not alone.

January is actually the perfect time to slow down and reset. Instead of jumping straight into data collection and new targets, this is a great opportunity to focus on goal setting—not just for your students, but for yourself too.

Let’s talk about realistic, age-appropriate goal setting strategies that feel supportive instead of overwhelming.

Why Goal Setting Matters After a Break

After time away, students often need:

Extra support re-learning routines
A confidence boost before jumping back into challenging tasks
Clear expectations for what therapy will look like moving forward

Goal setting helps students understand why they’re coming to speech and gives them a sense of ownership—even at a young age.

And for SLPs? Goal setting helps us move out of survival mode and back into intentional therapy.

Start Small (Really Small)

January goals don’t need to be big or long-term.

For younger or elementary students, goals should be:

Short
Concrete
Easy to understand

Instead of:

“Improve expressive language skills”

Try:

“I will use longer sentences.”
“I will answer questions about stories.”
“I will try my sounds at the beginning of words.”

How to do this in sessions:

Use visuals or simple sentence strips
Let students choose between two goal options
Keep the language child-friendly

Even small goals help students feel successful—and success builds motivation.

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Use Reflection Before New Goals

Before setting new goals, take a moment to reflect on where students were before the break.

You can ask:

“What do you remember working on in speech?”
“What feels easier now?”
“What still feels tricky?”

For younger students, reflection might look like:

Sorting pictures into “easy” and “hard”
Talking about what they like or don’t like in speech
Using emotion visuals to share how speech feels right now

This step helps students reconnect with their therapy journey without pressure.

Make Goals Visible

Goals shouldn’t live only in your data sheets.

When students can see their goals, they’re more likely to stay engaged.

Simple ways to make goals visible:

A mini goal card at the table
A dry-erase goal strip you revisit each session
A visual checklist or sticker chart

You can start sessions with:

“Today we’re working on this goal.”

And end with:

“How do you think you did today?”

This builds awareness and self-monitoring over time.

Build Goals Into Play and Routines

Goals don’t need a special activity to be addressed.

In January, focus on embedding goals into:

Games you already use
Winter books or pictures
Play-based routines

For example:

Articulation goals during turn-taking games
Language goals during book discussions
Pragmatic goals during cooperative play

This helps students see that speech goals aren’t separate from fun—they’re part of it.

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Goal Setting for SLPs (Yes, You Too!)

January is also a great time for SLP goal setting—and these goals matter just as much.

Instead of huge professional goals, think:

“I will simplify my session planning.”
“I will use the same materials across groups.”
“I will collect data in a way that feels manageable.”

Even one small goal can reduce stress and improve consistency.

You can also set personal therapy goals like:

Being more present in sessions
Letting go of perfection
Prioritizing connection over data

Those shifts make a big difference.

Celebrate Progress (Not Perfection)

January isn’t about starting over—it’s about picking back up.

Celebrate:

Effort
Participation
Small wins

When students feel safe to try, progress follows naturally.

Goal setting after the holiday break doesn’t need to feel heavy or formal. With small, meaningful goals and clear routines, January can become a gentle reset instead of a stressful restart.

Start simple. Stay flexible. And remember—progress looks different for every student and every therapist.

You’ve got this 💙

Happy Speeching!

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