Visual Schedule???

Rewind 3 months to May:

 

School will be out in a few weeks & I realized I needed to do something to create some order in our house for the summer  So I rummaged through my computer files to find and edit a "summer schedule" that I had created several years ago to keep life organized for my youngsters.  As I did I reminisced on the intended beauty of the schedule: keep the kiddos from becoming glued to the TV & from my kitchen from becoming a round the clock snack shop. Then it hit me: I also needed somthing to squelch the unending question from John, "What we do next? And after that? And after that? And after that?"  I needed a visual schedule tailored just for him, customized for each days activities.  My search was on . . . After scouring the internet I came across this little gem:

 

Magnetic pictures (with words) that I could arrange and rearrange until my hearts content. (magnet board not included)

Back to the present, September:

 

The visual schedule was great! We hung it right outside of John's bedroom door, which luckily is right near the living room, so it was easy to check and refer to throughout the day.  And like magic It accomplished exactly what it was intended to do; I did not have to explain every two seconds what we would be doing next!  It had some unintended but beautiful benefits as well: It gave boundaries and support to transitioning from one activity to the next, without a fight! 

 

We had such great success with this visual schedule that I continued it once school started.  I had begun to get lazy about changing the after school part of the schedule and noticed one day that John had taken matters into their own hands . . .

 

My first thought when I saw it: Is that how he sees his day? a whole bunch of chaos?

I believe he was just playing around (or revolting from the schedule) but I think it is rather insightful . . .