Visual Schedules for Neurodiverse Kids
Sometimes kids with neurodiversity struggle with their need for structure and want to know what comes next. A visual schedule can help kids and adults reduce stress by helping them manage time.
Think about how you organize your time. I’m sure most of you keep a calendar, either a physical calendar like my mom does, or a digital calendar ike the one I keep on my phone. On the next level, you may have a daily schedule that helps you remember what time your meetings or appointments are each day. Some of you may keep a bullet journal to help you manage your time. Often when you attend an event or a retreat, you will receive a program that tells you what is happening when. Even on Sunday mornings, many churches provide a bulletin with an Order of Worship. This helps you know what is happening and what will happen next. Kids benefit from the same kind of help, especially those who need more structure.
A visual schedule uses images or pictures to represent the events planned.
- Sometimes words are included, sometimes not.
- The images are posted in the order they are expected to happen.
- Sometimes times are included, sometimes not.
- If your schedule is dependent on time, it makes sense to list the times, but if you have a more flexible schedule (for instance story time may usually last for five minutes, but sometimes takes longer) then just posting the activities in order will suffice.
Example of a visual schedule for Teaching Differently:
The point is, everyone in the room can tell just by looking, what will happen next. There are several different ways to display a visual schedule. I have used cards with Velcro posted on a time line.
Here are some links to different sites with instructions and ideas about using visual schedules:
- Children's Ministry Visual Schedule - free download of schedule and clipart to paste/copy to schedule from Teaching Differently.
- 4 Steps To Create a Visual Schedule for Sunday School & Why You Need One
