Play in bed
A little playtime in bed can be a gentle bridge between day and sleep, or a way to wait for the rest of the family in the morning. The visual support below shows a child playing with a teddy and a few toys and turns the moment into a calm step of its own.
♀Play in bed
A happy girl lies on her tummy in bed playing with a teddy bear, blocks and a toy car.
♀Play in bed
A girl sits in bed with a green teddy bear, with blocks and a toy car nearby.
About this visual support
Many children find it hard to go straight from a busy evening to lying still in the dark. A short spell of play in bed, with the lamp on and just a few things, can work as a halfway station. The body settles while the hands stay busy. The key is that the play is calm and has a clear end, otherwise the bed turns into a playground and sleep gets pushed back.
The visual support shows a child with a teddy and a few toys in bed. Agree together which things are allowed, ideally two or three, and give them their own basket by the bed. A timer or a song that plays to the end shows when it is time to put the toys away and switch off the light. The next picture in the schedule can be the night light or the teddy that gets to sleep alongside.
The same picture works in the morning for children who wake up early. It shows that it is fine to play quietly in bed until an adult comes or until the clock shows a certain time. A wake-up light that changes colour can help show when it is time to get up. In the Routined app you can add playtime to the evening or morning routine with a timer that shows how long it lasts. You can try the app for 14 days without paying.
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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