First-then board: free printable with picture cards

Who it’s for

Children who do better when they can see what’s coming: a child who finds it hard to leave the park, to start homework, or to sit still for a haircut. It works with toddlers, with children who don’t speak or don’t speak much, and with older children who simply like to know the plan. Parents, teachers and therapists use it to make a hard step shorter and the reward easier to believe in.

Where it helps

• Getting out of the door: first shoes on, then outside.
• Jobs before fun: first clean up, then play; first work, then the swing.
• Waiting for a grown-up: first the baby’s feed, then a story. The new baby board has more words for big brothers and sisters.
• Places that take patience: first the haircut, then the park; first the church service, then the playground.
• Bathroom routines: first bathroom, then wash hands. For every step, use the potty visual schedule.

How to use it

1. Put the task in First. Choose something short, like washing hands or putting shoes on.
2. Put something the person wants in Then. A snack, a swing, a story: whatever they really want right now.
3. Point and say it in a few words. “First wash hands, then snack.” Use the same words each time, and point to each card as you say it.
4. Mark the first part done. Say “Done!” and take the card off.
5. Give the Then right away. Keeping this promise is what makes the board work.

Choosing a good Then

The board works when the Then is something the person truly wants, and the First is short enough to finish. If the First is a long job, cut it down: first two pages, then a break. When you can, let the person pick the Then from two cards with a choice board. Keep the board a promise, never a threat: “first shoes, then swing”, not “shoes, or no swing”. For more help when it isn’t working, read how to use a first-then board, step by step.

Children and adults

First-then isn’t only for young children. For a teenager or an adult, use photos or plain words instead of cartoon-style cards (“first laundry, then coffee”), or write the two steps on a sticky note in the same First and Then boxes. Keep the tone the same as with any adult: it’s a reminder of the plan, not a reward chart.

What’s on the PDF

Page 1 is the board, printed sideways: a First box and a Then box with an arrow between them, each with space for a card. Page 2 has 12 cards to cut out:

Picture cards

• bathroom
• wash hands
• shoes on
• clean up
• work
• play
• outside
• swing
• snack
• story
• 2 blank cards

Making the board and cards

• Print both pages, on card stock if you have it.
• Laminate the sheets first, then cut out the cards. They last much longer.
• Stick a hook-and-loop dot in each box on the board, and the matching dot on the back of each card.
• Use the two blank cards for anything that isn’t on the sheet. A photo of the real place or the real toy works well.
• Ready for more than two steps? Try the morning routine chart, or make a schedule of your own in the free visual schedule maker.