Daily Routines! Helping Children Become More Independent with Visual Checklists

As a parent, we have all been there.

"Brush your teeth."
"Put your shoes on."
"Where's your drink bottle?"
"Did you pack your homework?"

Some mornings can feel like we're repeating ourselves over and over again.

It can be really frustrating especially when you are trying to get ready yourself in order to get out of the door. This is a common reason that occupational therapists are asked to help. During the last week, I've worked with two families in their homes to help them to develop some strategies. It is a struggle for so many families. 

Many children know what they need to do, but remembering the steps, staying on task and finishing independently is hard. 

Why are routines so hard for some children? 
Getting ready in the morning isn't just about putting on clothes.
Children need to:

• remember multiple steps
• organise materials
• manage time
• stay focused
• switch from one task to another
• monitor what they've already completed

These are all executive functioning skills.

Executive functioning refers to the mental processes that help us plan, organise, initiate tasks, sustain attention, regulate emotions and monitor our own behaviour. These skills continue developing throughout childhood and adolescence, so many children benefit from external supports while these abilities are still emerging. 

Daily Routines: Morning and Bedtime
​Morning routines are often time restricted. During the school holidays, the pressure is off but when school resumes, the time factor plays a huge demand on children. It can be so overwhelming that some children then refuse to go to school. 

The morning routine might include:

• get dressed
• eat breakfast
• brush teeth
• packing a school bag
• final check before leaving

A calm, predictable bedtime routine helps children to prepare for sleep.  The evening routine might include: 

• shower or bath
• putting on pyjamas
• brush teeth
• pack school bag
• choose tomorrow's clothes
• bedtime story
• lights out

Preparing the night before means there are fewer decisions to make during busy mornings.

Daily Routine Checklists

Why visual supports work.
Visual supports reduce the need for constant verbal reminders. Instead of hearing another prompt from an adult, children can look at the checklist and decide what comes next.
Visual checklists also:

• reduce working memory demands
• increase independence
• provide consistency
• reduce power struggles
• help children experience success
• create predictable routines

Over time, many children internalise the sequence and rely less on the visual support.

How to introduce a visual checklist

1. Complete the routine together.
2. Point to each picture as your child completes it.
3. Encourage your child to check what comes next.
4. Praise their independence rather than reminding them verbally.
5. Gradually step back as they become more confident.

If something is forgotten,  try asking, "Can you check your routine?" or "What's next?" or "How many ticks (check marks) have you put on your chart?" When we provide "strategic questioning", we are encouraging self-monitoring and self-checking. This models to your child how they can eventually question themselves. 

I've recently updated my routine resources to give families more flexibility.

Routine Visual Checklists  are perfect for everyday use and focus on self-care. 
✔ morning routines
✔ bedtime routines
✔ easy to laminate
✔ suitable for home

Lift-the-Flap Routine Checklists
Some children love interactive resources. The popular (revised) lift-the-flap morning and after school checklists allows children to physically flip each completed task over to reveal a tick/checkmark (✔️), providing immediate visual feedback and a sense of accomplishment. 

These checklists focus on packing and unpacking the school bag, eating breakfast, putting on/taking off socks and shoes. This is the "let's get out the door" and "what happens when you immediately arrive at home" checklists. 

Lift-the-Flap Checklists

These checklists will NOT work if you (or the parents you are working with) don't put in the time to help your child to achieve them. We can't expect our children to use these on their own immediately. We need to help our children to become invested and motivated with the process. 

For younger children, we might make this more of a game. We might introduce executive functioning activies that focus on building one step instructions to multiple steps. This could include packing away toys, playing hide-and-seek with items of clothes, washing different body parts, etc.  This executive functioning guide for parents may help you to learn about this process. 

For older children, I might ask them to think of the steps involved in looking after themselves in a day. I use strips of paper and ask them to think of what things they need to do (via strategic questionning). I might even act out their answers to help them see what is missing. Then I ask the child to order the strips of paper into a "daily routine". You could even colour code self-care tasks separately from other tasks such as homework, chores or play. Note: There is no colour coding in the photograph below, the colours were chosen randomly. 

Whether you make your own checklist or use either of the ones I've shared here (daily routine and lift-the-flap), you can support your child to participate in their own daily self-care and routines.  Visual checklists really do help children develop planning, organisation, self-monitoring and independence skills.  We are building skills that they can use throughout childhood and beyond. 

Until next time,

Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia.  She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.  Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog

Cindy is a contributing author of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team.  They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK.

​The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. ​​​
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