Watch basketball

About this visual support

Ten minutes left on the clock rarely means ten minutes in basketball. Every free throw, timeout and video review stops the time, and the final quarter can take twice as long as it shows. For a child who has been told the game is nearly over this makes no sense, and for the adult who has promised dinner or bedtime afterwards it turns into a negotiation. What was meant to be a cosy moment ends in pleading for one more minute.

The visual support gives the game a place in the day with a clear beginning and a clear end. The picture shows a man sitting on a chair following a basketball game on a tablet, with a basketball on the floor beside him. Put it in the schedule and place the next activity straight after, so it is visible what happens when the game is over, not only that it will end.

A practical tip is to decide the stopping point in advance by the game rather than the clock, for example after half-time or after the third quarter, and agree that the rest can be watched as a replay or highlights later. That makes the end predictable even when the time stands still. In Routined the game can be added as its own activity with a picture and a timer, and the app can be tried for 14 days at no cost.