Let’s face it, we can all be creatures of habit at times. Even if we enjoy an occasional moment of spontaneity, we generally like to plan and prepare for most of our daily activities. Children are much the same. Just as routines and schedules help adults to manage daily activities (could you imagine if you didn’t have access to your calendar?), routines and schedules can help children tackle their day with confidence too.
Without understanding what their day involves, or simply what is happening next, your child may become anxious, frustrated, and even exhibit inappropriate behaviours. Establishing a solid routine and implementing visual schedules at home, in educational and social environments can help your child regulate their emotions, manage feelings of anxiety and help them understand what is expected of them.
Occupational Therapists (OTs) frequently utilise visual schedules, and in this blog I will explain what visual schedules are, and how they are used, why we love them so much and how they can be used to help your child build independence and shine.
What Are Visual Schedules?
Visual schedules utilise symbols, photographs, drawings, objects, or words to present a sequence of tasks or activities.
They can be used to help children progress through the steps of a task, follow a routine, transition between tasks, complete tasks, learn new skills, gain a sense of predictability, and promote independence.
The visuals can be arranged in a way that helps children understand the requirements of a specific task and what is expected of them.
The number of visuals presented at once depends on a child’s age, understanding and ability to attend to the visuals. For some children, two step visuals are sufficient which might include a ‘first, then’ template.
Others may benefit from visuals which break down the steps of an activity such as the morning routine, a dressing routine or a craft activity.
It may also be beneficial for your child if you include visuals as part of a daily or weekly schedule that can be displayed in a number of ways – on the fridge, pin board or even digitally on a tablet.
Why Do Occupational Therapists Love Visual Schedules?
OT’s love helping children become independent in their daily activities. Visual schedules support independence by helping children understand the processes involved in a task, anticipate future events, and organise their thoughts and emotions so they can approach their daily activities with confidence.
We also love visual schedules because they can:
- Help establish routines
- Help children understand and respond appropriately to new or unexpected events
- Provide children with choice and a sense of control
- Promote regulation through knowing what is expected of them (i.e. utilising timers to help your child understand how long each step will take)
- Motivate greater participation and completion of activities with a reward
- Help your child with transitions between activities.
- Help manage behaviours and provide your child with an understanding of what is expected of them
- Promote active learning by breaking down challenging tasks into a sequence
- Supports and aids communication skills including non-verbal communication
- Provide your child with an understanding of specific concepts including ‘First, Then, Next and Last’
- Encourage the habit of seeking information
- Promote independence
They are also incredibly versatile and can be used anywhere your child needs support, direction and guidance.
How Do Visual Schedules Help with Routines?
Routines dominate much of our day – from the time we wake in the morning till the time we go to sleep at night. We all have important tasks to complete throughout the day which ensure we are productive and take personal care of ourselves and those around us.
Just like adults, children also have routines and Activities of Daily Living they must complete such as getting ready for school, participating in sporting activities, dressing, grooming and bedtime routines. As children have not had as much practice with routines, they will often require help to complete these tasks and transition to the next. That is where visual schedules come in.
Visual schedules provide a quick visual checklist of what needs to be done. These schedules can help to make an overwhelming task seem achievable.
As mentioned above, one of the benefits of visual schedules is how they can be used to help your child understand what their daily routine looks like. By implementing a visual daily schedule as well as breaking tasks into ‘bit sized pieces’ with visuals to depict each step, your child will approach their day and associated tasks with confidence. As your child practices daily activities in a consistent and structured way they will become more familiar with these tasks, know what is expected of them without prompts and become more efficient and independent.
OT’s can help you establish routines and implement visual schedules that will help your family with a variety of activities, including:
- Consistent bedtime routines
- Completing everyday tasks including dressing, brushing teeth, packing bag, toileting and other self-care activities
- Setting time limits on additional activities like homework, screen time, outdoor play, indoor play
- Mealtimes and
- Chores
The long-term goal when using visual schedules is that your child will eventually be able to work without the schedule and follow their daily routine without feelings of anxiety or frustration.
If you are looking to implement visual schedules in your home or at your child’s school, talk to one of our OTs. We utilise a variety of programs to produce visuals to suit all kinds of situations and activities. We will work with your child to help them understand the meaning of the visuals, how to interpret their schedules and independently complete a variety of tasks.