How To Use a Visual Schedule to Support Routines
OCTOBER 13, 2020
WHAT IS A VISUAL SCHEDULE?
Visual Schedules are supports that provide your child with information around what will happen during various times throughout the day. They can include a variety of formats, such as cartoons, pictures, and written lists. Visual schedules can outline the activities happening throughout an entire day, during specific routines (e.g., morning or bedtime), or to display steps required to complete a task (e.g., washing hands or getting dressed).
WHY ARE VISUAL SCHEDULES IMPORTANT?
Visual schedules allow your child to see what is coming up next and understand the sequence of activities. By using a visual schedule, your child’s routine will become more predictable and expectations will be made clear. There are many benefits to using visual schedules, including:
- Teaching new skills such as brushing teeth or doing laundry
- Increasing your child’s independence in daily routines
- Increasing behaviours you want to see by providing clear rules, expectations or steps for completion
- Providing structure to your child’s day and decreasing downtime
- Reducing anxiety, uncertainty and repetitive question asking
- Promoting flexibility and understanding of changes in daily routines
- Promoting time management
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