Change clothes
The wet shirt stays on because play is more fun than changing. The visual support below shows each step, so the child can see what happens between the old clothes and the fresh ones.
♂Taking off clothes (tank top)
A person is taking off a blue tank top.
♂Putting on clothes (shirt)
A person is pulling a green shirt over their head to get dressed. Other clothes are on the floor.
♂Change shirt
A boy is taking off a blue t-shirt and holding a red t-shirt, getting ready to change clothes.
♂Pulling off the shirt
A smiling man in green trousers lifts the hem of his blue t-shirt to take it off, and a stack of folded clothes waits on the floor.
♀Taking off clothes (shirt)
A person is taking off a blue shirt with arrows indicating the motion.
♀Change shirt
Illustration of a person putting on a blue shirt.
♀Change clothes
An illustration of a person changing clothes, pulling a blue shirt over their head and adjusting their bottom garment.
About this visual support
Changing clothes is rarely about the clothes themselves. The resistance usually comes from interrupting play or a show, and from a body that suddenly has to leave something soft and warm for something new. That interruption is what the pictures address, not the act of pulling on a sleeve.
When a child can follow the sequence with their eyes first, the change becomes predictable. They see the old shirt going into the basket, the new clothes already laid out, and the play waiting on the other side. One thing worth trying: place the new outfit within sight of the activity before you mention changing, so the eyes land on it before the body has to move.
In the Routined app you can build the full change-over routine with photos of your own child's clothes and let them tick off each step at their own pace. There is a 14-day trial.
Use this image in a schedule
Build your own visual schedule with this image and download it as a print-ready PDF. Completely free.
More similar visual supports
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A folded blue overshirt with brown buttons.
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Pants
Slim blue jeans with front pockets and turned-up cuffs at the ankles.
Put on a top
A blue t-shirt.
Put on an outfit
A boy is putting on a pair of yellow shorts over his gray pants. He is also wear...
Put on sweater
Girl adjusting or pulling on a blue sweater.
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.