Ride a Taxi
A taxi is an unfamiliar car with an unknown driver and a route the child does not steer, and without preparation it can feel unsafe. The visual support below shows the trip in advance so the unfamiliar becomes recognisable.
♂Riding a Taxi
A boy sits in a yellow taxi seen from the front.
About this visual support
The unease in a taxi comes from everything unknown at once: a car the child has never sat in, a driver they do not know and a route they cannot affect. Unlike the family car, there are no familiar details here to hold on to, and the unknown can feel bigger than the trip itself.
Visual support builds a preparation that makes the unfamiliar less frightening. When the child sees in advance the picture of the taxi, the driver up front, the seatbelt and how to step out on arrival, they have already met the trip in their mind before the body is in the car. The familiar in the pictures replaces some of the unknown in the situation, and the sense of safety grows.
A tip for the taxi in particular: show on a picture where you will get out before you even step in, so the child knows the trip has a set end and does not go on forever. When the destination is visible, the uncontrollable route becomes easier to trust. You can prepare the trip with pictures in the Routined app and try it free for fourteen days.