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How to make a visual schedule in 5 minutes

Write or say the plan, give each step one picture and one or two words, put the steps in order, and show what's changed. With a picture schedule maker, it takes about five minutes from first word to printed page.

Updated November 7, 2026 · 5 minute read

What a visual schedule is

A visual schedule shows the steps of a day, or part of a day, as pictures in order. The person can see what is happening now, what comes next, and when it ends.

Visual supports, including visual schedules, are listed as an evidence-based practice for autistic children, youth and young adults in the 2020 review by the National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice. They are also widely used with people with dementia or aphasia, and with anyone who finds it hard to follow spoken plans.

The 5-minute method

1. Say or type the plan the way you'd say it. "School bus at 8, swimming after school, dinner, brush teeth, bed."
2. Check each picture. One step, one picture. Remove anything that isn't really a step.
3. Mark what changed. If the park is closed, keep the park and cross it out, then show what happens instead.
4. Choose how it reads. Across for a short plan, down for a longer day. Switch to big words if pictures don't help.
5. Print it and put it at eye level, where it will be used: by the door, on the fridge, at the table.

Tips that make a schedule work

• Use the same picture for the same thing every time. Some people find it hard to link two different pictures of the same activity.
• Keep it short. Three to five steps is plenty for a young child. Split a long day into morning and afternoon.
• Let them finish each step. Cross it off, turn it over, or move it to a "done" pile.
• Use it every day, and make sure everyone at home and school uses it the same way.

When plans change suddenly

Printed schedules are great for routines. The hard moments are the surprises: the closed park, the extra dentist visit. That is what Talk2See is for: say what's changing, and the new plan appears as pictures in about two seconds, right where your child can see it.

Sources

• National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice, Evidence-Based Practices for Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Autism (2020)
• AFIRM, UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Visual Supports brief packet
• East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Visual Supports (adapted from the National Autistic Society)