Look How FarVisual schedule for the day
A daily visual schedule in three parts — morning, afternoon, evening — with twelve boxes for the steps of the day and sixteen simple picture cards to cut out, or empty boxes for your own drawings and photos.
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1 page · black and white · no sign-up
Why it helps
Many autistic children find the day easier when they can see it: what is happening now, what comes next, and when the thing they are waiting for will come. A visual schedule answers “what’s next?” without words, and makes changes less of a surprise — you move or cross out a picture instead of announcing a new plan.
What is on the sheet
One page: three columns (morning, afternoon, evening) with four numbered boxes each — a space for a picture, a word, and a “done” box — and a strip of sixteen pictures to cut out: toilet, wash hands, get dressed, eat, brush teeth, school, car, shop, outside, play, screen, book, doctor, home, bath and sleep.
How to use a visual schedule at home
- Cut out the pictures you need, or draw your own. Photos of your own home, car and school often work best.
- Fill in the day in order, top to bottom. Start with a short part of the day — just the morning — if this is new.
- Go through it with your child before the day starts, and come back to it before each change.
- When a step is done, tick it, cross it out or take the picture off. If the plan changes, show the change on the schedule.
When to show it to a specialist
If your child already uses pictures or a schedule at school or in therapy, ask which ones — the same symbols at home and at school help most. A speech and language therapist or occupational therapist can suggest how many steps to show at once. A visual schedule is a support, not a treatment, and it is fine to adapt it.
Questions parents ask
What is a visual schedule?
A row or column of pictures that shows the steps of a day or an activity in order. The child sees what is happening now and what comes next, instead of having to remember or ask.
How many pictures should a visual schedule have?
As many as your child can follow. Some children need two (that is a first–then board); others manage a whole day. Start small and add steps when it works.
Photos or drawings?
Whatever your child recognises. Many children understand photos of their own things best; others prefer simple drawings. The cards on this sheet are plain line drawings you can colour in.
Should we use it every day?
It helps most when it is predictable: the same place, the same routine of checking it. Many families use it on school days and on days with something new — a doctor’s visit, a trip, a holiday.
These sheets are for observations. They do not diagnose and do not replace your child’s doctor or specialist.
