Start the day
Waking up and getting going are two different things. The eyes are open, the alarm has rung, but the body stays where it is and nothing starts by itself. The pictures below turn the first step into something concrete to look at.
♂Start the day
A boy waves beside a small house with a clock and a sun.
♂Start the day
A boy opens yellow curtains letting in the sun and clouds outside the window.
♂Start the day
A boy raises his arms beside an alarm clock, a sun and a green arrow pointing up.
♂Start the day
An adult points at a sun holding an alarm clock, with a calendar and a thought bubble showing coffee and bread.
About this visual support
The gap between awake and going is rarely a question of will. The body often needs a physical starting signal, something happening outside the head: a light coming on, feet meeting the floor, a glass of water. Without such a signal the minutes can pass with nothing changing, and the longer the pause lasts the heavier it feels to break it.
Visual support moves the start from decision to action. A picture of the very first step, putting your feet on the floor or opening the curtain for instance, gives the morning an entrance that does not require making up your mind first. What has to be done was already decided yesterday.
A concrete tip is to make the first step something that takes under ten seconds. A small beginning counts for more than a good plan. In Routined the morning can start with a single short step before the rest, and the app can be tried for fourteen 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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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.
* 14-day free trial included for new users.