~Visual Timetables~
As adults, most of us like to know what our days are going to look like, we often record this in our diaries, on an electronic calendar or in the form of a list. Most of us record our appointments so we remember key dates, tasks or activities that we have planned. I know that if I did not have my diary (both an electronic copy and a paper copy) I would really struggle to know what I should be doing and where I should be.
Equally, a lot of the children that we work with need to know what is coming next, how long activities are going to last for and the sequence of events for the day. A visual timetable is helpful in developing key routines at both home and school.
A visual timetable is a way of supporting children to predict what is happening in their day. It also helps the children to understand whereabouts they are up to in the day, offering them a sense of safety and security. For some children, a visual timetable can be for the whole day, or across a shorter period of time such as just the morning or afternoon, some children need it breaking down either further to an individual activity or routine.
As we approach Christmas, using a visual timetable is also a great resource to use with our children as during this busy period things often change within our routine, we like to use a ‘surprise card’ within our timetables so that we can prepare the children as best as we possibly we can for when things don’t go quite as we had planned!!
It is important to know that visual timetables can be used with all ages of children at both home and school.
Reach Behaviour 