Developing pragmatic language skills is essential for preschoolers as they learn to navigate social interactions, communicate their needs, and build relationships. But for many children, especially those with social communication challenges, these skills don’t come naturally.

As SLPs and early childhood specialists, your expertise in supporting social communication plays a crucial role in helping preschoolers develop self-advocacy, turn-taking, nonverbal communication, and conversational skills. By setting clear, developmentally appropriate pragmatic language goals, you can guide young learners in strengthening these essential abilities.

This article will help you:

• Understand the key components of pragmatic language for preschoolers
• Identify common challenges and warning signs
• Set targeted, achievable goals for your students
• Implement effective interventions to build social communication skills

What is Pragmatic Language?

Pragmatic language refers to the social use of language in everyday interactions. It includes knowing what to say, how to say it, and when to say it based on the social context. In preschoolers, pragmatic language development is foundational for both academic success and peer relationships.

Key Components of Pragmatic Language in Preschoolers

• Turn-taking – Learning when to speak and when to listen in conversations
• Eye contact and nonverbal communication – Understanding gestures, facial expressions, and body language
• Conversational skills – Initiating and maintaining conversations, staying on topic, and responding appropriately
• Social cues – Recognizing greetings, tone of voice, and implied meanings
• Empathy and perspective-taking – Understanding how others feel and responding appropriately

When preschoolers struggle with pragmatic language, they may have difficulty engaging with peers, expressing their needs, or interpreting social interactions.

Signs of Pragmatic Language Challenges in Preschoolers

Preschoolers with social communication difficulties may display:

• Limited ability to start and maintain conversations
• Difficulty following conversational rules (interrupting, dominating discussions, or struggling with turn-taking)
• Limited understanding of nonverbal communication (avoiding eye contact, not recognizing facial expressions)
• Challenges interpreting social cues (not recognizing when a peer is sad or uninterested)
• Struggles with play-based social interactions (difficulty joining or engaging in cooperative play)

By identifying these early signs, you can create individualized goals to support pragmatic language development.

Example Pragmatic Language Goals for Preschoolers

Pragmatic language goals should be:

• Specific – Target a measurable skill
• Functional – Address real-life social situations
• Developmentally appropriate – Aligned with the child’s age and abilities
• Flexible – Adapted as the child progresses

Developing Turn-Taking Skills

One important pragmatic language goal for preschoolers is developing turn-taking skills. This involves teaching children how to wait for their turn to speak, listen actively to others, and respond appropriately. Strategies for achieving this goal may include using visual cues, such as a token system, to facilitate turn-taking during conversations and activities.

Example Goal: The child will engage in structured turn-taking activities in conversations and play with 80% success.

Strategies:

• Use visual cues like a talking stick or turn-taking cards
• Incorporate structured games that require taking turns, such as board games or Simon Says
• Model turn-taking in play and narrate the process (“My turn, now it’s your turn”)

Here’s a sample of a video modeling lesson to help young students take turns while playing:

Enhancing Eye Contact and Nonverbal Communication

Another pragmatic language goal is enhancing eye contact and nonverbal communication. This can be achieved through activities that promote eye contact, such as playing games that require children to look at each other while taking turns. Visual supports, such as social stories or visual schedules, can also be used to teach children about appropriate nonverbal cues.

Example Goal: The child will use eye contact and appropriate gestures (such as nodding or pointing) in three out of five social exchanges.

Strategies:

• Use mirroring activities where students match facial expressions
• Play “Guess the Emotion” to reinforce recognition of nonverbal cues
• Provide visual supports, such as social stories, to demonstrate appropriate body language

Improving Conversational Skills

Improving conversational skills is a crucial pragmatic language goal for preschoolers. This may involve teaching children how to initiate conversations, ask and answer questions, and stay on topic. Role-playing activities and social skills groups can provide opportunities for children to practice and refine their conversational skills.

Example Goal: The child will initiate and sustain conversations by responding to at least three conversational turns in structured settings.

Strategies:

• Use role-playing scenarios, such as ordering food or greeting a friend
• Teach scripted phrases and expand on responses (“Tell me more about that”)
• Reinforce the “ask, answer, add” strategy to encourage back-and-forth conversation

Here’s a sample video modeling lesson from Everyday Speech you can use to address Conversation Drivers with students:

Understanding and Using Social Cues

Understanding and using social cues is another important pragmatic language goal. Children can be taught to recognize and interpret social cues, such as greetings, gestures, and body language, through explicit instruction and modeling. Role-playing and real-life practice can help children apply these skills in different social situations.

Example Goal: The child will recognize and respond to social cues, such as greetings and farewells, in four out of five opportunities.

Strategies:

• Practice greetings and farewells through social scripts
• Incorporate video modeling to show examples of appropriate interactions
• Use peer modeling where children observe and practice social cues together

Building Empathy and Perspective-Taking

Building empathy and perspective-taking abilities is a fundamental pragmatic language goal. Children can develop these skills through activities that encourage them to consider others’ feelings and perspectives. Reading books, engaging in discussions, and participating in cooperative games can foster empathy and perspective-taking.

Goal: The child will demonstrate understanding of another person’s feelings in structured social interactions, such as role-playing or book discussions.

Strategies:

• Read books that explore emotions and ask reflective questions (“How do you think they feel?”)
• Play “Emotion Charades,” where children act out and guess feelings
• Use cooperative play activities to encourage teamwork and social problem-solving

Here’s a sample video modeling lesson from Everyday Speech you can use to help students understand feelings:

Tracking Progress and Adjusting Pragmatic Language Goals

Monitoring progress is key to ensuring pragmatic language interventions are effective. You can use:

• Data tracking sheets for conversational turn-taking and social exchanges
• Observation logs to document real-life interactions
• Parent and teacher feedback to assess skill generalization

Pragmatic language goals should be adjusted as the child progresses, ensuring continued growth in social communication skills.

Strategies for Teaching Pragmatic Language Skills in Preschool

Helping preschoolers develop pragmatic language skills requires more than just direct instruction—it involves creating meaningful opportunities for practice in natural, engaging settings. Evidence-based interventions emphasize structured support, real-world application, and consistent reinforcement to help children generalize social communication skills across different environments.

Below are four key strategies that speech-language pathologists can use to support pragmatic language development in preschoolers. These approaches provide practical, interactive, and developmentally appropriate ways to strengthen social communication skills.

Play-Based Interventions

Play provides a natural context for social interaction, making it one of the most effective ways to develop pragmatic language skills. Structured play-based interventions give children the opportunity to practice turn-taking, conversation, problem-solving, and cooperative play in an engaging and low-pressure setting.

To incorporate play-based interventions:

• Use interactive games that require turn-taking and verbal interaction, such as board games, pretend play, or interactive storytelling.
• Introduce structured peer play where children are encouraged to communicate their needs, share materials, and negotiate roles in cooperative activities.
• Provide scaffolding during play, modeling appropriate social language and guiding children in using pragmatic skills in real time.

Social Stories and Visual Supports

Many preschoolers benefit from explicit instruction in social norms and expected behaviors. Social stories and visual supports help children understand social expectations, conversational rules, and appropriate responses by breaking down complex interactions into clear, step-by-step scenarios.

To use social stories and visual supports effectively:

• Create or use social stories that model specific social situations, such as greeting a friend, asking for help, or joining a group play activity.
• Implement visual schedules or cue cards to provide children with a predictable structure for social interactions, reinforcing turn-taking and conversation skills.
• Use video modeling, where children watch real-life examples of peers demonstrating pragmatic language skills, reinforcing appropriate communication strategies in different contexts.

Role-Playing and Social Skills Groups

For preschoolers who struggle with social communication, structured practice in a safe, supportive environment can build confidence and fluency in pragmatic language use. Role-playing and social skills groups allow children to actively participate in guided social interactions while receiving real-time feedback and reinforcement.

To integrate role-playing and social skills groups:

• Set up structured role-playing scenarios that mimic real-life social situations, such as ordering food, asking a teacher for help, or introducing themselves to a new friend.
• Encourage guided peer interactions where children practice initiating conversations, responding appropriately, and recognizing social cues in small-group settings.
• Provide explicit coaching and feedback, modeling expected behaviors and helping children refine their conversational and problem-solving skills.

Parent and Teacher Collaboration

Pragmatic language development doesn’t just happen in therapy sessions—it needs to be reinforced at home and in the classroom for skills to generalize. Working closely with parents and teachers ensures that children receive consistent support and reinforcement in everyday interactions.

To foster collaboration:

• Share strategies and resources with parents, such as social stories, conversation scripts, and structured play activities they can use at home.
• Work with teachers to create language-rich environments in the classroom, integrating pragmatic language goals into daily routines, group activities, and structured social play.
• Encourage caregivers to provide positive reinforcement by praising and modeling appropriate social interactions, helping children build confidence in their communication skills.

Final Thoughts

Strong pragmatic language skills set preschoolers up for successful social interactions, academic readiness, and emotional well-being. Working with preschool students, your role in supporting social communication development is invaluable.

As specialists, you have the expertise to assess, diagnose, and treat pragmatic language difficulties in preschoolers. By using targeted goals, evidence-based strategies, and collaboration with families, you can help preschoolers build the essential skills they need to navigate social interactions with confidence.