Morning Routine Visual Schedule
A morning routine visual schedule shows each step from waking up to leaving the house in pictures, in order. It helps children who find mornings rushed or unpredictable, and it can cut down on nagging because the schedule does the reminding for you.
Free to print with no account. The customized board also runs on a tablet in a session.
About this template
Mornings have a lot of steps packed into a short time, and each one asks the child to stop what they are doing and switch. A schedule on the wall turns the question "what next?" into something they can check on their own, so the adult can step back.
How to use it
- Print the page and hang it at the learner's eye level where the routine starts, such as the bedroom door or the bathroom.
- Walk through the steps with the learner the evening before, pointing to each picture.
- In the morning, point to the first picture and let the learner do the step, then tick it off together.
- When the last box is ticked, finish with something the learner enjoys, such as a favorite show or a game before leaving.
Make it yours
- Remove steps the learner already does without help, so the schedule stays short.
- Add steps that suit your home, like feeding the pet or taking medicine, by customizing the schedule.
- Use real photos of your own bathroom, bed and breakfast table instead of drawn pictures.
- Show the schedule on a tablet and tap each step as it is done, which suits learners who like screens.
Questions
How many steps should a morning schedule have?
Fewer is easier to start with. This template has six, and you can take any away or add your own so the schedule matches your routine.
Should I use words or pictures?
The schedule has both. Pictures help learners who do not read yet, and the words help everyone else follow along.
What if the learner refuses a step?
Stay calm and point back to the picture rather than arguing. If one step is regularly hard, bring it to your BCBA or team so they can suggest a way to teach it.
Related templates
- Build one from scratch with the Visual Schedule Maker maker.
- Read more: Potty training visual schedule.
- See all free templates.
General information only. Your BCBA or team can adapt this for your learner.
Pictures are from open symbol sets. See the credits.