Get ready for bed
The evening has to hold pyjamas, teeth, toilet, a drink and goodnight, and all of it happens when a body is already on its way to sleep. The visual support below keeps the order in place, so you are not the one reciting it every night.
♂Brush teeth before bed
A boy in pyjamas brushes his teeth by the bed, holding a book, with a moon in the sky.
♀Brush teeth in the evening
A girl in pink pyjamas brushes her teeth holding a cup, with a starry night sky behind her.
♀Almost time to sleep
A girl in spotted pyjamas brushes her teeth while a thought bubble shows a bed under the moon.
About this visual support
It is usually the order that breaks down, not the willingness. Late in the evening a child's attention is at its shortest while the list of things to finish is at its longest, and every reminder from an adult lands as a small wake-up that raises arousal instead of lowering it. The more a bedtime routine has to be spoken, the longer it grows.
A picture sequence moves responsibility for the order from your voice to the wall. The child can see how many steps remain, which makes the ending predictable, and you can walk alongside without steering. Let light and sound travel in the same direction as the pictures, and make the last card something that genuinely slows the pace, a book or a few minutes in the dark, never a step that requires a decision. If one step reliably causes conflict, it is usually its position in the order that needs changing.
In Routined the whole evening sequence can sit ready with pictures, timings and a reminder when it is time to begin. The pictures on this page are free to download, and the app can be tried for 14 days at no cost.
Use this image in a schedule
Build your own visual schedule with this image and download it as a print-ready PDF. Completely free.
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Take the visual supports with you
In Routined you build schedules from these pictures, add timers and voice instructions, and your child follows the day on their own.
* 14-day free trial included for new users.