Stay inside
We are staying inside today is a message that can cause a lot of protest, especially for a child who expected to go out. The pictures below make the message clear and can be paired with what you will do indoors instead.
♀Staying inside
A girl sits cross-legged on a rug inside a red house with an arrow pointing in.
♀Looking out the window
A girl stands inside at a window with her hand on the glass, with the sun and a tree outside.
About this visual support
The rain is pouring, a cold wind is blowing or someone in the family has a fever. Adults can weigh this up quickly, but for a child who was looking forward to cycling or going to the playground, the message often feels like a sudden no without explanation. It is not the indoor day itself that is hard, but that the plan changed and it is unclear what happens now instead. An empty gap in the day is easily filled with nagging, frustration or screens.
The visual supports show a girl sitting cross-legged inside a red house with an arrow pointing in, and a girl standing at the window looking out at the sun and a tree. Use the picture to give the message, and place one or two pictures straight after it that show what you will do inside, such as crafts, a blanket fort or baking. The conversation is then about what is fun indoors rather than why it is not happening outdoors. A practical tip is to agree on a time when you will look outside again, so the message applies for a while and does not feel like the whole day.
In Routined an indoor day can be built with pictures in advance, and the app can be tried for 14 days at no cost.
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.
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