Picture Support — Help in Everyday Life
Routines are good for small children. They don’t have the same overview of a morning or an evening that an adult has. What will happen, and when? To stop doing something (when the parent wants) is often hard. It feels sudden and unexpected to the child! Snags can often occur in transitions from one activity to another and they can easily result in nagging, arguments and tantrums.
Using pictures as support for the things that will happen and the order in which they will happen can help both the child and you as a parent. A specific picture makes the routine clearer for the child. A picture schedule for bedtime serves as preparation for what will soon happen and a reminder list during the activity.
Look at the first picture together and ask "What are you going to do first!?". When the child has completed the first activity, he or she runs back to the schedule to see what’s next! You can place the pictures in a row on a piece of paper or arrange them so they can be removed as the activities are completed. You can put it up on the wall in the child’s room or perhaps on the fridge.
Suggestions for a morning picture schedule
(Book / Toilet / Clothes / Breakfast / Brush teeth / Outdoor clothes)
Of course you can draw your own pictures like this one on morning routines. Or look for fun pictures on-line. (If you want to use the pictures from this example, click here.)
Suggestions for an evening picture schedule
(Pyjamas / Go to the toilet / Brush teeth / Listen to a story / Go to sleep)
The pictures for evening routines are taken from the Habiliteringen website. There are sheets available to download or print. Habiliteringen is an organisation for children with disabilities, though picture support is helpful for all small children. Follow the link.
