School and after-school
The last lesson is over, but the day is not, and for many children that seam is the heaviest part. The pictures below show how the afternoon holds together, from the end of school through after-school care to the moment the backpack goes on.
♂After school
A boy with a backpack and books points at a sign showing a school building, a sun and a moon.
About this visual support
The day has two halves but only one ending, and that ending is not where the school bell rings. School stops, the friends change, some of the staff are new and the room may be different, all at a point when a child has already used up most of their energy. That is why the question about going home can arrive twenty times in one afternoon: a clock time means nothing while there is nothing to look at.
A row of pictures reaching from the end of lessons to pick-up turns the afternoon into a sequence rather than an edgeless wait. A child can see that snack, outdoor time and one activity come before going home, and can move their attention forward without asking. A tip that fits this particular seam: add a picture for the switch itself, such as putting the backpack on the after-school shelf, so the transition gets its own step instead of becoming a gap between two parts of the day.
The visual support is free to download and works both in the hallway and in a pocket. If you want the afternoon as a schedule on a phone, Routined can be tried for fourteen days at no cost.