A few weeks ago, I taped a visual schedule to my bathroom mirror. Not because I was teaching a child their new preschool schedule. Because I needed one.
Our family has recently decided to completely overhaul the daily and weekly routines. The goal is simple: create consistency and structure and reduce my anxiety surrounding the chaos.
Calm in the Chaos?
Turns out, old habits die hard. Instead of feeling more organized, I found myself bouncing from task to task. Half-folded laundry sat in my bedroom when I suddenly remembered I needed to unload the dishwasher. Counters collected clutter, and toys exploded across the house. [I blame the children living in my house on that last one]
It wasn’t laziness.
It wasn’t lack of motivation.
It wasn’t that I was thriving in the chaos… clearly, I was not.
My brain was on overdrive, trying to rewire for the new routine.
As I stood in the midst of the mess, contemplating throwing everything within eyesight into the trash, I realized something.
New Routine = Overwhelm
When an old habit or routine suddenly changes in our world, our brains jump into the fast lane trying to make sense of what’s happened and create a new path. Instead of relying on the habit, we find ourselves making hundreds of micro-decisions in the moment.
What am I supposed to be doing right now?
What’s next?
Didn’t I do that already?
What did I come into this room for?
That extra brain power has a name: mental load. The more our brains have to find balance and interpret new information on the fly, the harder it becomes to think clearly, make decisions, problem-solve, and stay organized.
Sound familiar?
Preschool Schedules
As grown-ups, we at least know why our routines or lives can change.
But imagine that you’ve spent the last 4 years of your life spending just about every day with your mom. Sometimes you’d go see grandma or play at a friend’s house, but for the most part, mom is your constant. You go to the grocery store together, play at the park together, eat lunch together, play together… You get the idea.
One day, all of that abruptly changes. You have to wake up earlier than normal, scramble to eat breakfast, jump in the car, and find yourself in a colorful classroom filled with other children you don’t know. There’s a very sweet lady at the front of the room, and she talks to you, but she’s not mom, and you have to share her with everyone else in the classroom. Suddenly, your days are wildly different than they were 2 days ago.
Every fall, children walk into classrooms filled with new teachers, new classmates, unfamiliar expectations, different environments, and a totally new preschool schedule.
For many children, that’s overwhelming.
Now add…
- language delays
- difficulty with comprehension
- limited ways to communicate
- sensory differences
- anxiety
- challenges with executive functioning
Suddenly, even simple transitions can feel enormous. Many times, the behavior we see isn’t defiance. It’s overload.
Visual Supports for All
This week reminded me of something I share with anyone attending my trainings.
Visual supports aren’t accommodations for a select group of people.
Visual supports are for everyone.
- Teachers use planners
- Doctors use patient records
- Pilots use pre-flight checklists
- Businesses post their hours on doors and windows
- Parents leave sticky notes on the refrigerator
And yes…
SLPs tape their own daily routines to their bathroom mirrors.
Because life gets busy and brains get overwhelmed.
& Visual schedules:
- reduce cognitive load
- increase predictability
- support language comprehension
- ease transitions
- promote independence
- reduce anxiety
- create opportunities for communication
They’re so much more than pictures on a wall.
Visual Supports have a way of making the world feel a little more manageable.
Here’s Your Reminder:
As children settle into preschool schedules and new routines this school year, remember that every predictable routine, visual schedule, first/then board, and communication support does more than organize the day.
It creates safety.
It reduces cognitive load.
Most importantly, they provide children more brain space to do what we really want them to do:
Learn.
Connect.
Communicate.
