Sleepover

About this visual support

Sleeping over at someone else's place is exciting but also one of the bigger transitions for a child. Everything that otherwise makes the evening safe, the own bed, the usual steps, the sounds and smells of home, is swapped for something unknown. Even when the day has been fun, the evening and night away can stir worry, because the familiar anchors that usually signal all is well are missing.

Visual support makes the evening away more predictable. When the child has seen in advance how it will go, where they will sleep, which steps still belong to the evening and that they can reach home, the unknown becomes less frightening. Bringing pictures of their own evening routine can also make the evening away feel more like the one at home.

A tip: talk through the evening in advance with pictures, and pack something familiar, like the soft toy or their own pillow, so a piece of the security from home comes along. The familiar carries in the unknown. In the Routined app you can build a short evening routine the child can bring, so the steps stay the same even away.