Using Visual Schedules

What exactly is a visual schedule? It is a schedule with various pictures that help children to visualize day-to-day tasks and follow expectations. These are especially advantageous for children who benefit from routine! Visual schedules are an excellent tool to have in therapy, in the classroom or even at home, for 3 main reasons:

  • They help keep students focused and more attentive during each activity
  • They help students transition between daily activities
  • They help familiarize students with the expectations during the school day

To create a visual schedule, you will need the following materials:

  • Construction paper
  • Velcro strips (hard and soft)
  • Pictures of daily activities or therapy tasks (e.g., book, game, homework, etc.)

Note for First Time Use:

Try to laminate your pictures to make your schedule durable. Sit down with the child and explain each picture on the visual schedule to ensure that they understand which activity each picture represents and answer any questions they may have. You may also want to ensure that you place your visual schedule in an area that is easily accessible for both you and the students.

3 Steps for Using Your Visual Schedule:

Preparing Your Schedule: Prepare your visual schedule the night before to ensure that you have enough time to set it up. Take the pictures that you will be using the next day out of the pocket at the bottom of the schedule, and place them on the Velcro strip in the correct order of activities.

Preparing Your Students: At the beginning of each day, go over the activities with the children so that they know what the expectations are for that day.

Completing Activities: As you complete each activity in the day, encourage the child to take the picture off the Velcro strip and place it in the pocket at the bottom. As you and the student do this together, explain that that activity is finished and prepare them for the next activity.

Learn More About Therapy Tools and Strategies

There are many different materials and strategies for ensuring that children have an optimal learning experience both in school and in therapy. Our team at Anderson Therapy Services works hard to ensure that each session is catered to individuals based on their needs. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s speech-language or behavioural development, call us today to receive more information on our services. Our team would be happy to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.