My Routines

Activity Overview

Visuals are effective tools that help us navigate our environment. Transitions are often the most challenging times of a child’s day, and it helps to have visual reminders to reinforce our structures. In this simple activity, students will become acclimated with the structure of a daily routine. With the help of visual tools, they will be able to make connections between the routines presented to them and the routines they follow in their everyday lives. Sequencing these daily activities will help bring stability and predictability to the students’ lives and reinforce the manner in which they move through their day.

What You Need

• Routine cards

• Objects to reinforce the picture on the cards

Steps

1. Begin the activity by asking your student to name some things they do during the day and night.

2. Share with your student the Routine cards with examples of some day and night activities.

3. While working through the cards, have your student help to distinguish what comes next.

4. Add corresponding physical items to the cards for younger students, where applicable.

5. Mix up the cards and ask the student to sequence all the cards on their own. Support them as they organize their daily schedule.

6. If there are any daily routines unique to your student's experience, create and add custom cards to the activity.

Guiding Questions

• What are some things you do in the morning before school?

• What are some things you do in the afternoon when you get home from school?

• Why is it important to keep a routine and do these things everyday?

• What if we skipped a routine, like eating breakfast. What would happen to the rest of the routines throughout our day?

• Are there any routines we missed? What do we need to add?