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How to make a visual schedule for kids

· 6 min read

A visual schedule shows the parts of a routine or a day in order, with pictures, words or both, so a child can see what is happening now and what comes next. It works for a single routine — getting ready for school, bedtime — or for a longer stretch of the day. This guide walks through choosing the steps, laying them out clearly, picking a printable format and putting it to use.

What a visual schedule is

It is a short, ordered list you can look at instead of a set of spoken instructions. Each item is one activity or step, shown as a picture, a word or both. Practitioners describe the value simply: visuals help young children understand what is happening “now” and what will happen “next”, and they stay put after a spoken direction has passed.1

Choose the part of the day to support

Start small. Pick one routine or one time of day that tends to be hard — the stretch before school, the wind-down before bed — rather than trying to chart everything at once. Once that routine is familiar, it is easy to add another.2

Keep only the steps that are actually useful

List the steps as they really happen, then cut the list down. A step earns a place when it is something the child regularly forgets, resists or asks about. “Get dressed” is usually enough; “put on socks, then pants, then shirt” only belongs on the chart if those are the moments that need support. Six to eight steps fit most routines; the wall chart handles up to twenty and keeps rows readable, but shorter is easier to follow.

Put the activities in a clear order

Arrange the steps in the order they happen and keep that order the same each day — predictability is a large part of why a schedule helps.1 If two steps can happen in either order, pick one and stick to it. Where it helps, follow a less appealing step with something the child looks forward to.1

Pictures, words, or both

Pictures alone suit children who are not reading yet; pictures with words suit most children and give early readers a nudge; words alone suit older children who find pictures babyish. The builder has all three as a single setting, so you can print the same routine in a different visual level later without rebuilding it. Whatever you choose, use the same picture for the same activity every time.

Write short, concrete labels

Name the action, not the goal: “Brush teeth” rather than “Get ready”; “Shoes on” rather than “Be ready to leave”. Two or three words is plenty. If a label needs a sentence, it is probably two steps.

Choose a format

Wall Chart
The whole routine on one page, in order. Best posted where the routine happens.
Task Cards
One card per step, 2.5 inches square, for a strip, a pocket chart or a hand-held schedule you can reorder.
First / Then
Only two activities at a time — the current one and the next. Good for transitions; see the First / Then guide.
Now / Next / Later
Three activities at a time when the full list is too much to look at.
To Do / Finished
Cards move from one column to the other as steps are done, so progress is visible.

The formats all come from the same routine, so you can print a wall chart for the wall and a set of cards for the tricky moments without entering anything twice.

Example: the bedtime routine for ages 6–8 that the bedtime builder starts with, printed as a wall chart in pictures and words.

Print on plain paper or card stock at actual size (US Letter). Post the schedule at the child’s eye level, in the place the routine happens — the bathroom mirror, the bedroom door, the hook by the front door — so it is seen at the moment it matters.1 If you want cards that survive handling, print them on card stock; laminating is optional.

Introduce it calmly, then adjust

Following a schedule is something children learn; it is not automatic.2 Show the chart before the routine starts, point to each step as it happens, and let the child mark what is done — moving a card, flipping it over, or simply touching the next item.1 Keep your own words short and consistent: the chart is doing the talking.

If a step keeps getting skipped or causes friction, change the chart rather than pushing harder: reword it, split it, move it or remove it. A schedule that is edited to fit the child is working as intended.

What to avoid

  • Too long. Twenty small steps look like a chore list. Combine or cut until the chart can be taken in at a glance.
  • Too cluttered. One picture, one label, one row. Decoration competes with the information.
  • Too rigid. The order should be predictable, but the chart is not a contract. When the day changes, say so and change the chart.
  • Vague labels. “Be good” and “Get ready” cannot be checked off.

A short example

The bedtime builder’s starting routine for ages 6–8 has eight steps: tidy bedroom, pack backpack, choose tomorrow’s clothes, take a shower, put on pajamas, brush teeth, read a book and lights out. A family might drop “choose tomorrow’s clothes” because it already happens without a reminder, rename “read a book” to “story time”, and print the result as a wall chart for the bedroom door plus a First / Then board for the two steps that usually stall. All of that is a few edits in the bedtime builder.

Where to start

Sources

  1. National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations, Visual Supports for Routines, Schedules, and Transitions (2020) — visuals show what is happening now and next; predictability and consistency; posting at eye level; letting the child show what is finished; pairing a harder step with something enjoyable.
  2. Jiron, Brogle & Giacomini, How to Use Visual Schedules to Help Your Child Understand Expectations, Backpack Connection Series, TACSEI/NCPMI (2013, updated 2018) — start with one difficult time of day; following a schedule is a skill children learn by referring to it often.

These are independent, publicly funded resources; they are not affiliated with BrighterByTheDay and had no part in these guides.