Good night
Just as the light goes off, the thoughts from the day tend to wake up. The visual support below gives good night its own small frame, a stop sign between day and sleep, so the child knows the talking really is over.
♂Good night
A child with closed eyes holding a pillow, with the moon and stars in the background.
♂Boy resting his head on a pillow
Eyes closed, a boy in a blue shirt rests his head against his hand and a white pillow while a crescent moon and three stars glow above.
♂Person in pyjamas saying good night
A person in blue striped pyjamas stands with closed eyes and hands together at their cheek, beneath a moon, a cloud and stars.
♀Good night
Illustration of a woman sleeping with a moon and stars above her head.
♀Girl in bed beneath moon and stars
Tucked under a blue duvet, a brown haired girl sleeps contentedly while a smiling crescent moon and three yellow stars hover above.
♀Girl with a ponytail fast asleep
Lying on her side under a blue duvet, a girl with a light ponytail sleeps while a small crescent moon and two stars sit above the headboard.
♀Child asleep under moon and stars
A child lies asleep on a dark blue pillow under a light purple duvet, with a moon and stars above the bed.
About this visual support
The edge of the bed is a strange place. All day has been too busy, but in the first dark minute the questions arrive: what happens tomorrow, why did Lova say that, what if I forget my jacket. Just as the room is meant to go quiet, a whole new conversation opens up, often more intense than any during the day.
When good night has its own picture, ideally a moon-hand over the eyes or a blanket pulled up, it becomes a visible ending. You say good night, you both point at the card, and the day is closed. A concrete tip is to keep a separate one last question card next to it, so the child learns that one question is fine but not ten, and that card is turned away afterwards. The agreement moves from your tone of voice to something you can still see in the dark.
In the Routined app you can build the whole evening routine with brushing teeth, reading and good night as the very last card, so the same sequence repeats night after night. Try the app free for 14 days.
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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In Routined you build schedules from these pictures, add timers and voice instructions, and your child follows the day on their own.
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