Tip 2

Establishing a Daily Routine

Summary

Establishing a routine and using a visual schedule helps decrease anxiety in children by providing constant cues about daily activities. Children thrive on predictability and unless there are changes in activities, there is no need to create a new schedule everyday. If following a schedule at home is new to your child, teach them how to use it. First parent models, then parent and child do it together, and lastly the child manipulates the schedule on their own.

The schedule can be put in a plastic sleeve or food storage bag and a dry erase marker can be used to check off completed activities. A wall schedule can be made by taping plastic wrap to the wall and using it as a dry erase board.

Checklist

⃞ Use a calendar to delineate school days vs. the weekend.

⃞ Identify what type of schedule you will use (object, picture, written).

⃞ Systematically schedule challenging tasks followed by something easy or fun.

⃞ If following a schedule at home is new to your child, teach them how to use it.

⃞ Establish a method for your child to know when activities are completed (remove object/picture, check off, draw a line through, etc.)

⃞ When it is time for a new activity, cue your child and say, "Check your schedule."

Printable Checklist

Types of Schedules

Object Schedule

Picture Schedule

written schedule

Written Schedule

Wall Schedule