A visual schedule is a picture plan of the different parts of your child’s day. It is very helpful for children so they know what to expect, which can also help reduce anxiety. You can use this resource in several different ways so find out what will work best for your family and the materials you have available to you. I tried to give you a few different options. If you come up with another creative way, or if you use this resource, please tag me on instagram @wholechildcounseling or facebook. I love to see people using my resources, and it will inspire me to keep creating!
First, you can print the cards and have your child color the ones that make sense for your schedule. If you have cardstock, you might want to print on cardstock so they are more durable. There are also blank cards included so you can add on items that you may need as part of your day. If you have ideas for more cards you would like to see included, please tag me on social media with your idea!
If you have access to a laminator, you can laminate for durability. If you don’t have a laminator, you could consider using packing tape or contact paper to laminate the cards at home.
If you want to add Velcro to the back, you can have your child put their schedule in the left “To Do” column, and when they complete the activity, they can move it and stick it with the Velcro to the “Done” column.
Alternatively, you could also use a checklist and have your child place a check mark in the “Done” column when they complete an activity. If you do have access to lamination, you could also laminate the whole sheet and use a dry erase marker to check off the “Done” column. There are also blank cards included to create your own activities that are not listed here. If you have ideas for other visuals you would like to see included, please let me know on social media @wholechildcounseling!
I didn't write the times on our visual schedule, because I'm being pretty flexible with it and I want to minimize our stress at home. Ideally you want to have your child involved in the creation of the schedule itself, in making the visual schedule and then have them involved with checking off the activities (or moving them from the "to do" to "done" columns) when they are done. I share our school closure schedule here with some tips about planning your kid's schedule during school closures.
I drew all of these images myself and am offering them to you in my Free Resource Library, so please only use them for your own family. If you don't have the password yet for my Free Resource Library, just subscribe to my email list below and it will be sent to you! If you find this resource helpful, please take a picture and tag me on social media using them! I’d love to see how this is working for you and your family!
If you want to share this resource with someone, please send them to my website to download. Please do not send them the file or post it on a share drive or google drive.
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