Grown-ups keep to-do lists. A routine chart is a to-do list for one part of a child's day, with a photo where the words would be: their toothbrush, their shoes by the door, their backpack on its hook. This one is blank, so it holds whichever routine your family needs, in your own order and your own words.
What's in the free file?
- Page 1: a start guide. Pick the routine, take the photos, print, glue and hang, and how a day on the chart goes.
- Page 2: the routine chart. A title line that reads "my ____ routine", a name box, and 8 numbered rows.
- Each row has a 1 inch photo frame, a line to write the step on, and a done circle, about 2/3 inch across.
- Page 3: the week chart. One routine for a whole week: 6 rows, each with a 1 inch photo frame and a word line, and 7 circles, Monday to Sunday.
- Two sizes: US Letter and A4, as two files. Every frame and circle prints at the same size on both.
There are no cartoon kids and no clip art. The pictures on the chart are the ones you take.
Which routines can go on a routine chart?
Any part of the day that happens the same way most days. A Vanderbilt Kennedy Center tip sheet names bedtime, toileting and the morning routine as examples of the longer sequences a picture schedule is for. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in its article on family routines, walks through weekday mornings, after school, evenings and bedtime.
These are example steps to change, not a plan. Use your own order and drop what doesn't fit your family:
| Routine | Example steps |
|---|---|
| Morning | Wake up, potty, get dressed, breakfast, brush teeth, shoes on, backpack, out the door |
| After school | Shoes off, wash hands, snack, play outside, homework, clean up |
| Bedtime | Bath, pajamas, brush teeth, book, song, lights out |
| Getting out the door | Potty, shoes, coat, hat, backpack, car |
For an after-school routine, the AAP names a snack, exercise, relaxation and study, in whatever order works best for your child, and time for active play after a day of school. For bedtime it describes a regular time on school nights and rituals such as storytelling, reading aloud and songs. Our free bedtime routine chart has bedtime and morning already printed, 8 steps each.
How to fill in the chart
- Pick one routine. A family handout from the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) suggests starting with a hard time of day, such as getting ready for school or bedtime, then adding more once it is routine.
- Walk through it once and note each step. Do the real routine on a real day and jot down every step in order, in the words you say out loud.
- Write the routine's name on the title line ("morning", "after school") and your child's name in the name box. Then write one step on each line, in order. A row can stay empty.
- Take one photo for each step, from your child's eye level, about 3 feet up: one thing in view, on a plain background. The NCPMI handout also suggests letting your child draw the pictures, or photographing your child doing the step.
- Print the photos 1 inch square. Twenty-four 1 inch photos fit on one 4 x 6 print. Glue one into the frame next to each step.
- Print the chart at "Actual size" and laminate it, or slide it into a sheet protector, so a dry-erase marker wipes off.
- Hang it where the routine happens, at your child's eye level: by the bedroom door for the morning, by the back door for after school, in the bathroom for bedtime.
A handout on making visuals from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) at Vanderbilt University explains the word under every photo: everyone who uses the chart calls each step the same thing.
How does a day on the chart work?
Go to the chart before the routine starts. Point to each photo and say the step: "Potty, clothes, breakfast." When a step is done, your child checks its circle with a dry-erase marker, or adds a sticker. At the end of the day, wipe it clean.
The NCPMI handout lists four questions a child should be able to answer from a picture schedule. On this chart, each one has a place to look:
| Question | Where it is on the chart |
|---|---|
| What am I supposed to be doing? | The first step without a check |
| How do I know I am making progress? | The checked circles above it |
| How do I know when I am done? | The last row with a step written in |
| What will happen next? | The step on the row below |
A tip sheet from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center reminds parents not to expect a child to understand a picture chart right away. Going through it together, the same way each day, is how you show what each photo means.
What is the week chart for?
The week chart holds one routine for the whole week: 6 steps down the side and a circle for each day, Monday to Sunday. Each day, your child checks the circle for every step done. At the end of the week, wipe it clean or print a new one. It suits a routine with fewer steps, such as getting out the door.
How many steps should a routine chart have?
There is no set number. The chart has 8 rows and the week chart 6, and any row can stay empty. A short routine, such as getting out the door, may need only four. Start with the steps your child already does most days, and add a row when a new step joins the routine.
How is this different from a chore chart or the bedtime chart?
| Chart | What is on it |
|---|---|
| Routine chart (this free page) | Blank: any one routine, 8 steps in order, a photo frame and a done circle for each, plus a week chart |
| Bedtime routine chart | Printed steps: bedtime and morning side by side, 8 steps each, with a photo frame over every step |
| Chore chart for kids | Jobs around the house for a week, 4 job rows with a check circle for each day and a star row |
A routine is the steps of one part of the day in order; a chore is a job that may happen at any time. For the whole day in pictures, see our visual schedules for kids page.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on a morning routine chart for kids?
The steps of your own morning, in the order they happen. One example: wake up, potty, get dressed, breakfast, brush teeth, shoes on, backpack, out the door. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests putting as much as you can in order the night before, so a step like packing the backpack can move to the evening.
What age is a routine chart for?
There is no set starting age. A family handout from the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations describes picture tools like these for children as young as 12 months. Our chart uses photos, so a child doesn't need to read to use it, and the word line next to each photo is there for readers and for the adults.
Should a routine chart for kids have pictures or words?
Both, on this one. Each step has a photo frame and a word line. A child who doesn't read yet can find the step by its photo, and the word means everyone at home calls the step the same thing.
Is there an editable routine chart?
The free chart is a blank you fill in by hand: the routine's name on the title line, one step on each line and a photo in each frame. It is a page to print and write on, not a typed form, so it fits any routine and any words your family uses.
Can I use one chart for more than one routine?
Print one chart for each routine, so each one hangs where its routine happens: the morning chart by the bedroom door, the bedtime chart in the bathroom. The file prints as many times as you need for your own family.
Free printables come with a personal-use license: how you can use a printable.
Sources
We opened and checked every link on November 11, 2026.
- The Importance of Family Routines, American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org). Shelly Vaziri Flais, MD, FAAP; last updated 2024-06-28, opened 2026-11-11. Weekday mornings: put as much as possible in order the night before, breakfast, a goodbye at the door. After school: a snack, exercise, relaxation and study, in whatever order works for your child, and time for active play. Evenings: dinner together, then helping clean up, chores and homework. Bedtime: a regular time on school nights, and rituals such as storytelling, reading aloud and songs.
- How to Use Visual Schedules to Help Your Child Understand Expectations (PDF), National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations. Jiron, Brogle and Giacomini, Backpack Connection series (2013, updated 2018). A visual schedule at home for routines such as getting ready for school; with it a child can answer what am I supposed to be doing, how do I know I am making progress, how do I know when I am done, and what will happen next; include your child: they can draw the pictures, or you photograph them doing the activity; let your child remove the photo when a step is done; begin with a hard time of day, such as getting ready for school or bedtime, then expand.
- Visual Supports tip sheet (PDF), Vanderbilt Kennedy Center TRIAD. A visual schedule is for longer sequences of activities, such as bedtime, toileting or the morning routine; it shows progression and what comes next; the child handles the pictures as steps are completed; don't expect a child to understand visuals right away.
- Tips and Ideas for Making Visuals to Support Young Children with Challenging Behavior (PDF), Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning, Vanderbilt University. Adults use calendars, grocery lists and to-do lists, and children can use visual reminders too; every picture with a written label, so everyone uses the same word; photograph one item on a plain background, from the child's point of view; make pictures sturdy (cardstock, contact paper or laminate).
An educational support tool. Not a substitute for evaluation or treatment by a licensed speech-language pathologist or physician. Read the full disclaimer.