Kids are easily distracted. It’s normal for kids to need consistent reminders to complete a task. Your life becomes much easier when those reminders can come from well-placed visuals rather than your own behaviors (like yelling). Visuals can help to remind someone to do a task, or the steps to a new skill. These strategies can encourage independence and help save the parent’s voice and sanity.

There are several different ways to incorporate visuals to make day to day life easier. Some ideas are using a visual schedule, a chore chart, routine reminders, toy labels, or a schedule clock. We will go over each of these below.

Toy Labels

Labeling where they toys go can be very helpful for building independence in cleaning up. While they may know where to find the toy when they want to play with it, they may be too overwhelmed when it’s time to clean up to know where to put it away. Simple labels can help.

These labels also need to have pictures whenever possible for those non-readers and adults alike. Even labels without pictures can help other helpers (family members, older siblings or friends parents) to assist with clean up. The labels can be simple pictures printed and taped on or stuck with velcro dots (my favorite because it’s easy to switch out). The pictures could be an image you took with your phone after gathering the toys that belong in that bin printed out. Whatever feels easiest to you is good. With some plastic bins you can even draw or write directly on them with dry erase marker. And yes, you need to label even the clear bins.

The proper bin alone will probably not be enough, training and coaching will be needed as well. When cleaning up, try breaking the task into smaller chunks. Ask the child to find all the items in one category (stuffed animals) or belong in one area (kitchen). Parents may also start to clean up and then ask for help finding all the blocks because they can’t alone. Guide younger children to place the correct toy in the correct bin. It may not be age appropriate to expect them to clean up everything that was taken out, especially if they are not required to clean up regularly. Try working with them and pause when they slow down or clean a majority of a category and have them finish it off.

Visual Schedule

Children like predictability. They feel safe when they know what will happen during the day. A way to do this, and build independence is a visual schedule. A visual schedule has all of the major activities during the day listed in pictures somewhere the child can easily see it. Having one can improve some behaviors, particularly those around schedule and transitions.

The key is to do what works for your family. There could be a daily schedule, a weekly schedule or even smaller chunks of time. You may use one over the course of the entire day or just during the times that are most challenging. It depends on what your own child needs help with.

There was a time that my oldest daughter struggled with getting into the car. She would get car sick, but even after helping her with the physical effects she still was hesitant to get into the car. I wouldn’t times quickly draw a schedule for her on a sticky note. A photo of one of my quick visual schedules I made for her recently appeared on my memories on social media. I should note the two stores in #2 were next door and I drew it as I was explaining it. She couldn’t read, however she knew where it was referencing.

Pictures are key, especially for non-readers. Pictures can be useful for everyone too, there’s a reason emojis are so popular. Having the picture next to the name can also help the child associate the specific pattern of letters with the activity for some pre-reading skill building.

We have released a summer visual schedule previously for our Summer Camp at Home Kit. Now we have expanded into more general and other seasons to help those who do not want to create the schedule themselves in our Visual Schedules Kit. If we have missed something that you need contact us here! We want to make it as inclusive as possible. For our resource you can simply print it out (or get it printed), cut and laminate (or cover with packing tape). I like to use it with a poster type base and velcro dots but my other favorite is using painters tape to stick the schedule to the base.

Routine Reminders

The routine is the same every morning and night and yet it feels impossible to get them to complete the necessary steps. The bedtime routine may not change, but it can still be helpful to have a visual reminder to keep the child on track. Visual reminders can build independence and save some time in the morning too. Having a visual reminder by the door can help a child remember all the items they need for the day.

We have a Routines Kit that may help. You can use it just as a reminder or add something they can earn at the end for completing all the steps. This can be a natural consequence such as, “when you get everything done we can snuggle and read an extra story”. Or it could be a more contrived reinforcer where they get more screen time afterschool for having a good morning and not forgetting anything.

Schedule Clock

Another visual that can be helpful is a schedule clock. By buying a cheap clock and writing on it you can help children understand how the day chunks up and watch the time move from one activity to the next. This can be helpful for the consistent activities throughout the day and may be chosen over a visual schedule, depending on the family needs.

This strategy may be best for older children or children who are very concerned with what time daily activities occur. You can also post a clock near the visual schedule and include the times on the schedule, if that makes more sense for your child.

Reward Chart

In our house we have a “Star Chart” rather than a chore chart. This is because we do not include just chores but the concept is the same. It can be helpful for children of all ages (and even adults) to have a visual reminder of what needs to be done each day. How many times have you forgotten about moving those clothes over to the dryer? If you were trying to earn your star for the day you may remember more often.

I personally like THIS reward chart because it can be for 1-3 children, has a wide variety of tasks that are available and have pictures associated with each. It also comes with blank ones to add your own. Any chart or simple visual reminder can help encourage independence and save us the hassle of nagging them.

A chart works the best when associated with reinforcement. That can be verbal praise, “Wow! I’m impressed. You’ve already got half your stars for today”. It could also be paired with a more tangible reinforcer such as a prize, privilege, or cold hard cash. This can also make it easier to persuade the child to do the task or chore. If they choose not to do the task, they choose to not get the reward. It may take a few cycles of receiving a reward to really impact the behavior (if the reward is reinforcing).

Summary

Everyone needs reminders now and again. children may need reminders at a certain time of day or throughout the whole day. Use the strategies that make sense for your family and what supports your child needs to build their independence. If you found a few strategies you would like to use, consider starting one at a time. This will help ease you and your child into the changes. It’s also important to remember to be consistent with what is important to you and what aligns with your values.

Please note that change will mostly likely not happen overnight. Each one of these strategies should be accompanied with others and used with praise and other reinforcement. They may need a reminder to check the visual reminder at first, but eventually they will be able to become independent.

As always, we are available to assist in the planning, carrying out and troubleshooting of any of these and many more behavioral strategies. Simply text us at 772-207-0804.