Bedtime routine chart: free printable picture schedule

How to use a bedtime routine chart

1. Start the chart at the same time each night. Taking it down from the wall can become the signal that bedtime has begun.
2. Keep the same order. Predictable is the goal. If the order needs to change, change it on the chart first, not in the moment.
3. Let the chart answer “one more”. “One more show?” Point to the chart: “Now it’s pajamas.” The chart, not you, sets the next step.
4. Put the calm steps last. Story, hug and good night are quieter than the bath, so they come at the end.
5. Finish the same way every night. The last step is always sleep: lights low, chart done.

Room for small choices

A fixed order doesn’t mean no choices. Let the person pick which story, which song or which teddy bear comes to bed, with the cards from page 2 or a choice board. A choice inside the routine is easier to accept than a choice about the routine.

Steps on the checklist

• bath
• pajamas
• brush teeth
• bathroom
• story
• hug
• good night
• sleep

The cards add shower, wash face, water, song, teddy bear, night light, kiss, clean up, blanket and quiet, plus two blank cards. Swap the bath for a shower, or leave it out on nights without one.

Making it work

• Hang the chart where the routine starts, often the bathroom door or the bedroom wall.
• Use the same words every night: “bath”, not “bath time” one night and “wash up” the next.
• Glue a photo of the real bed, the real teddy or the real night light onto a blank card.
• Take a printed copy to sleepovers or a grandparent’s house, so the routine travels with the child.

Want to make one from scratch? Read how to make a visual schedule.