Make a picture routine

What you need 

• Some photos of the things you do each day, or paper and pencils 

What to do 

• Draw some pictures of some of the things that happen each day – or print them if you’re using photos.  
• Find a space for the picture routine that your child can see easily.  
• Chat with them as you put the pictures in order, “We get up... then what do we do?”  
• Use the routine to help your child think about what will be happening next, soon and later.  
• You can also use this to help them when they’re finding it hard to wait for something to happen or when there is a change in their routine.

Good to know 

Think about how many pictures you want to include, you might want to break a part of the day into a sequence, such as getting up, dressed and out of the house, or use a few pictures for the whole day. This will be led by your knowledge of what your child will find helpful and if there are parts of the day when you think they might need a bit more of a reminder about what is happening.  

This can be a useful activity to do if there is a change in routine, or something you think they’re worried about.