Free play
Go and play yourself sounds simple, but inventing something, choosing and getting started alone is a little project of its own. The visual support below nudges the child toward those first choices so play can begin.
♂Arms out among toys
A boy in a yellow t-shirt spreads his arms while a ball, a brick, pencils, a teddy bear and a spinning top float around him.
♂Holding a car and a teddy
A smiling boy holds a blue toy car in one hand and a green teddy bear in the other, with a ball, blocks and another car in front of him.
♂Jumping among the toys
Wearing a blue t-shirt and orange shorts, a boy leaps happily while a beach ball, a green toy car, a teddy bear and a brick float around him.
♀Free play
A happy girl in a dress stretches out her arms surrounded by toys.
♀Free play
A happy girl plays with arms outstretched surrounded by a ball, teddy bear and spinning top.
♀Girl playing with blocks and a teddy
A girl sits on the floor with her arms out, a building block in one hand and a teddy bear in the other, surrounded by blocks and a toy car.
♀Happy girl surrounded by toys
A cheerful girl in a green top spreads her arms while a ball, a block, a teddy and a pencil float around her.
About this visual support
Tell a child to play freely and you are really asking them to make a string of decisions all alone: what should I do, which toy should I grab, how do I begin. For a child who easily gets stuck at the starting line, it is exactly that first nudge that is missing, and without it a pile of toys can stay just a pile of toys.
Visual support does not hand over the work of imagination, but it offers ways in. A picture of the ball, the teddy or the blocks becomes a concrete suggestion to latch onto, and once the first choice is made, play tends to find its own direction. It is less about steering the play and more about helping the child past the threshold where initiative otherwise stalls.
One concrete tip: keep the pictures open rather than finished, so show a toy but not exactly how to use it, letting the child fill in the rest so the play stays their own. In the Routined app you can gather the child's favourite toys as choosable pictures, so the one who does not know where to begin can point their way to an idea.
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More similar visual supports
Play in the room
A girl sits on the floor in her room playing with a toy car and a teddy bear.
Play with toys
A child playing with a block, a toy car and a teddy bear
Teddies
Illustration of three teddy bears, a large one in the middle with a red bow, and...
Toys
A collection of toys including a teddy bear, car, duck, block, and ball.
Active play
A girl jumps with a basketball in a playground with a slide and swings.
Afternoon playtime
A happy girl runs and plays with a ball outdoors in front of a playground.
Do activities
A happy girl with arms raised surrounded by a ball, a star and a paintbrush, rea...
End play
A large cross over a boy at a toy box shows that playtime is over.
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.
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