Pick up Alicia
Pickup looks short on paper but holds a whole shift: a different adult, new noise, jacket on, walk home. Use the cards below when a child needs a soft bridge between day and evening.
♂Man embracing a child
Illustration of a man smiling and embracing a small child, who is also smiling.
♂Man bending towards a child
Illustration of a man smiling and bending down towards a small child, who is smiling back.
About this visual support
After a long day at daycare, Alicia is met by a different adult, a different pace and suddenly a whole new rhythm. Transitions usually cost the most energy, even when the physical move is short. That is why pickup can look like a small storm from the outside: the tiredness lands the exact moment the bag goes on.
A row of four or five cards holds the sequence together. Meet adult, hug or high five, get the jacket, grab the bag, walk to the door. Show the row before stepping into the hallway and let the child flip or tick one card at a time. This is not a tidy list of activities, it is a hand to hold between two worlds.
The walk home is part of pickup and deserves its own card. Some children need quiet, others want to talk. Skip the how was your day question and tap the card instead, letting the child decide whether to share anything from it. Inside Routined the whole pickup row can be saved and pop up as a reminder at the right time, one of the features available during the fourteen day trial before any subscription.