Change into pyjamas
Changing clothes announces that the day is over, while the body is still moving at the speed of the game that ended two minutes ago. The steps below show what happens around the pyjamas so the shift is predictable.
♀Change into pyjamas
A child pulls off a top next to a pair of pyjama trousers and a pile of clothes.
About this visual support
Getting the clothes off is rarely the hard part. The hard part is what the change stands for: the day ending, the game on the floor not continuing, and bed coming next. Plenty of children hear the message while their body is still going at full speed, and for a child who finds transitions difficult, the resistance arrives in that exact second rather than at the pyjamas themselves.
Making the shift visible instead of spoken takes the pressure off. With a visual schedule the child can see what sits before and after the change, for example tidy up, get changed, water, story. One move that works for pyjamas specifically: lay them out on the bed before the evening starts and let the picture show them lying there, so the change already has a place and nothing has to be hunted for in the middle of the protest.
With Routined you can put the evening steps in order and let the child see how much is left before sleep. The app comes with a 14-day free trial, and the pictures on this page are free to download.