Turn on sound

About this visual support

There is a big difference between a sound that blasts on unexpectedly and one the child starts themselves. In the first case the body is caught off guard; in the second the child knows exactly when the sound is coming and is already braced for it.

That is why this small action is more about control than about technology. With the steps shown as pictures, it becomes clear that the child is the one deciding: locate the button or symbol, press it, then turn the volume up bit by bit until it sounds right. Being allowed to raise it yourself, from silence to sound, lets even a child who is sensitive to noise meet it on their own terms.

One concrete tip is to start at low volume every time and let the child turn it up one notch at a time, so the ear can adjust. On a speaker you can mark where the volume button sits with a little arrow, so the step stays the same every time. With Routined you can add turning on the sound as its own step in playtime or before a film, so the start stays predictable.