Pick Up Little Brother
Picking up a little brother places a responsibility on the child: minding a younger person while also finding the way home alone. Two things at once is a lot. The pictures below break the task into clear steps.
♂Pick up brother
An older boy leans down and gently holds a younger boy.
About this visual support
Being responsible for someone else is a big step for a child. When an older sister or brother is to pick up a little brother, focus shifts from their own way home to also keeping track of a younger person who might run off, drop things or walk slowly. The double task asks more than you would think, especially at the end of a school day.
Visual support makes the responsibility manageable by breaking it up. When the child sees the steps, find the little brother, help him with jacket and bag, hold hands by the road and walk home together, the task becomes a sequence rather than a vague you are in charge of him. What is divided can be handled one step at a time.
One concrete tip is to let a picture show the meeting point where they gather, such as a particular gate, so the child knows exactly where to start. The beginning then becomes clear. In the Routined app you can build the pickup as its own little routine and go through it with the child in advance.