Goodbye hug
Goodbyes are hard when they drag on. A goodbye hug that always looks the same gives your child a clear end point. The visual support below shows the hug and can go last in the drop-off routine, so your child knows that after the hug comes the next part of the day.
♀Goodbye hug
Two children hug each other goodbye. A waving hand and an airplane appear above them.
♀Goodbye hug
A woman and a child hug goodbye next to an orange suitcase.
About this visual support
Many parents recognise the scene in the preschool hallway: one more hug, one more wave, then another attempt to leave, and suddenly the goodbye has taken fifteen minutes and ended in tears. The longer it goes on, the harder it is for a child to know when it is actually over. A short, predictable goodbye is usually kinder than a long and uncertain one, even if it feels tough in the moment.
A goodbye hug that always happens the same way works like a ritual. It might be one hug, one wave from the window, and then the adult leaves. The visual support shows the hug as a step of its own, and when it sits last in your child's schedule it becomes a clear signal. Your child knows what is coming and can prepare, instead of being surprised that the parent is suddenly gone.
The same picture works for other goodbyes too, for example when grandma heads home after a visit or when a sibling leaves for camp. Talk about when you will see each other again and show that with a picture as well, so the goodbye has both an end and a continuation. In the Routined app you can put the goodbye hug at the end of the morning routine and follow it with a picture of pick-up time. You can try the app for 14 days without paying.
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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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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