End play

#end play#toys#finish#transition#play

A book has a last page, but the construction on the floor can go on for hours, which means the ending always has to come from an adult. The visual support below moves that ending from your voice to something your child can see.

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Playtime is over

A large cross over a boy at a toy box shows that playtime is over.

About this visual support

What makes ending play hard is that play has no ending of its own. A film has credits and a meal has an empty plate, but the build on the floor can continue for hours, so the word to stop always comes from outside and always in the middle of something that was working. For children with ADHD it is often the interruption of something enjoyable that weighs most, not the task waiting afterwards.

Visual support helps by giving play a finish of its own. A card for the last round, one for putting things away and one for what happens next mean the ending is present in the room before it arrives, instead of turning up as a surprise. A tip that belongs specifically to play: define the ending in actions rather than minutes, such as two more cars into the garage or the tower finished, because then your child can see their own finishing line ahead of them.

In the Routined app you can pair the pictures with a timer so both the time and the next step are visible. Fourteen days are available to try at no cost.