Fetch pen and paper
Standing up, holding two separate items in mind at once and then actually locating each of them is more mental juggling than it first sounds. The visual support below splits the errand into steps so nothing slips away on the way.
♂Fetch pen and paper
A boy reaches toward a sheet of paper while holding a pen.
About this visual support
Telling yourself mid-task to go and fetch pen and paper sounds trivial, yet it asks a child to interrupt what they are doing, hold two things in mind at once and recall where each one lives. If the pen drops out of memory on the way to the drawer, the trip is wasted and the child comes back empty-handed or carrying only half of what was needed.
With the errand laid out as clear pictures to look at, the child no longer has to keep everything in their head at the same time. Pen, paper and the spot where they belong become visible anchors, so the thread does not snap when something distracts along the way. It also becomes easier to sense that the task is not finished until both items are back on the table.
One concrete tip: let the pictures show exactly where the things are kept in your home, such as the pen holder on the desk and the paper shelf, rather than a generic pen. The visual support then works as a map and not just a reminder. In the Routined app you can build this particular errand as its own steps and reuse it every time homework begins.