RoutinedMom leaves
When mom grabs her coat and walks out, the ground can seem to shift, especially if your child has no idea what comes next. The pictures below make the goodbye predictable: a hug, a wave and an image of who is staying.
♀Mom leaves
A woman waves goodbye in the doorway with a suitcase in her hand.
♀Mom heads out
A woman walks out through an open door.
About this visual support
A goodbye moves faster for the adult than for the child. Mom already has the plan in her head, the job, the trip or the errand, while your child only sees the door closing. What hurts is rarely the goodbye itself but everything left unsaid: who looks after me now, what do we do while she is gone, and is she back before bedtime or only in a few days?
Visual support fills in those gaps. A picture of mom leaving, followed by one of dad, grandma or preschool, and finally one of mom coming home, shows the whole chain at once. Your child can look at it when the missing kicks in instead of asking the same question again and again. One tip is to keep a fixed goodbye ritual, such as two hugs and a wave from the window, and to put the picture of that ritual by the front door so it looks the same every time.
In the Routined app you can add both the goodbye and the return to your child's schedule, so even longer trips get a clear beginning and end. Try the app for 14 days before deciding on a subscription.
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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This visual support in other languages
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, then $2.39 a month or $20.99 a year (US pricing). Cancel anytime.