Helping your child remember the sequence of steps at different times of the day e.g. in the morning – dressing; in the evening – completing homework and preparing for the next day.

Keeping your child on task.

Encouraging your child to become more independent. A visual timetable enables your child to see what they need to do next without having to ask again and again. This can lead to increased confidence in their own skills.

How to do it

Decide with your child which specific time would be most useful to try out this technique.

Find or draw pictures or take photographs with your child of each of the steps you are working on together in order to complete the task.

Stick the pictures onto card. These can be pinned or stuck onto a notice board. Alternatively, laminate the pictures. You can also attach a piece of Velcro to the back of each one and a strip of Velcro onto the board to attach them to.

As tasks are completed your child could place each item in a poly pocket. This could be marked “done” so your child can see what he or she has achieved and what still needs to be completed.

Alternatively, you may want to keep the display up and remind your child of the order he/she needs to follow.

Try to keep the same routine each day as this will reduce anxiety for your child and allow them to learn the steps of the routine and automate them.