Do you use a calendar, PDA, sticky-notes, or cook-books? Do you make 'to-do' lists to keep you on schedule, or remind yourself of things you need to do?

If your answer is 'yes', without realizing it, you are using a visual prompt to keep yourself on track and manage your time!

What is a 'Visual Schedule'?

'Visual Schedules' are a form of visual prompts, particularly useful for children. A visual schedule is the display of a planned activity or sequence in pictures, ordered in the way the activity or sequence is to take place.

How does it help?

A visual schedule helps children in 3 fundamental ways:

1. It helps them to understand what is to take place.
2. It helps them to anticipate what will come next.
3. It helps them participate in the activity displayed on the schedule.

Helping children in these 3 ways, also has the cascading effect of lessening the anxiety associated with unexpected changes to routines, and to move between activies with less fuss and hesitation. It also encourages an understanding of organizational sequencing and the passage of time.

How does it work?

Children thrive on routine, and the 'FIRST THIS...THEN THAT' principle of visual schedules provides the structure and visual direction needed to set your child up for success!

For example, getting ready for school can sometimes be a stressful event. You sometimes find difficult to motivate your child, and need to continually remind them of their 'getting ready for school' routine. Placing a visual schedule in a prominent location that is accessible to your child takes the guess-work out of the sequence of events. The schedule reminds them that FIRST they brush their teeth, THEN they get dressed. NEXT they eat breakfast, THEN they put on their shoes.

The simple but powerful combination of structure and visual input provides important information, in a format that your child will understand, and find easy to use.

What can a visual schedule display?

Anything you can break down into steps! Here are a few examples from the endless possibilities:

Morning Routine

How To Wash Hands

How To Tidy A Bedroom

In these examples, we have only used 4 items from the Do-N-Slide picture packs in each schedule for simplicity. There is no limit however to the number of pictures you choose to display on a visual schedule, or what you use to create the pictures. You can use clip art, photographs, Boardmaker, draw free hand - the choice and flexibility is yours!