This is my eighth year as a preschool SLP but my first as a mommy to one. Bedtime has been a struggle at my house lately. While we've kept the routine consistent, lately each step has been up for negotiation. Ugh threenagers! Hearing my husband's desperate calls for help, I decided to pull a trick out of my SLP hat - a visual schedule! I use visual schedules every day with my students; why did it take me this long to use one at home?!
Kids crave structure but also control. A visual schedule provides both and often independence.
Just think when you go to a movie, meeting or recital; you know or need to know the plan. Movie's easy: buy ticket, get snacks, watch trailers, watch movie. At a meeting, you look for an agenda. When's the break? Will this end by 5:00? At a recital, you check the program for what performance you are there to watch. If you didn't know the structure of these events, you may have some level of anxiety. I certainly would! That's why my planner looks the way it does (thanks Erin Condren). Now what about children who have a language disorder? Comprehending and following directions to complete a routine can be a major struggle and source of frustration. And that's where visuals can save the day!
So I made a simple flap schedule for our nightly bedtime routine. Each step had a picture and text go with it (because my husband needed a visual too). My daughter closed a flap for each activity completed. And guess what?! When it was time to brush teeth, she brushed her teeth. When it was time to put on her pajamas, she did. And on it went with little to no prompting from me or protests from her. The bedtime routine which has been taking 20 minutes or longer (with occasional tears) took less than 10! Hallelujah! My husband successfully used the visual the next night (with minimal prompting). Afterwards he said, "That actually worked!"
Visual schedules can be as simple or as complex as you like. Just keep in mind the age, attention, needs and interests of your child. If they're old enough, involve them in the process. Maybe that means they draw out their schedule or find pictures out of a magazine. Just make sure there is a clear way to indicate completion. You can cover task, cross it off a list, move the picture to a red piece of paper, or put in a finished basket.
Don't think of visuals as a prompt! As adults we use visuals constantly. It's about time we start using them for the littles in our lives.
Whenever you can supplement a request, direction, or activity with a visual the faster your child will understand which can in turn foster independence.