There are a lot of good reasons why visual schedules will completely change your kids' behavior — and one of the biggest is the sense of control they provide. 

We'll help you get the most out of your new system by getting your kid involved with its creation, and make sure they're consistent with it.

Why Your Kid Has to Help Plan the Routine

Kids don’t like being told what to do all the time, and the only way we can get them to consistently follow the schedule is by getting their buy-in.

When it comes to routines or chores, that means you — the parent — decide what needs to be done, and the child chooses the order of the tasks. That way, they feel like they had some control over what their day looks like, and they're way more likely to actually do it.

With weekly calendars, what is on the schedule can be a discussion, and the kids help build it.

Step-by-Step Planning

We've taken all the mental labor out of what needs to be in your kids' routine or weekly schedule by including a reusable sticker sheet with the most common tasks — plus a whole host of other stickers to help customize it for your family.

Sit down together and tell your older kids, "I want us to all be happy and healthy, and I read online that one good way to do that is by making sure we know what's going on each day, and what we should do. Let's figure out what those things are together." Tell your younger kids, "here are the things we need to do each day and each week! Let's decide how to do it together." Make sure you emphasize that this is a tool (not a toy) and that it belongs to them, not their siblings or the whole family.

Now, decide which stickers apply to your family. If your kid is young, you can peel off the stickers yourself, then have them attach the stickers to the magnets (don't worry, they're restickable, if they put it on crooked it can be fixed!).

If setting up a routine, let your child arrange the order on the chart. This gives them a sense of control and ownership, which makes them more excited to use it. If they want to put their shoes on before get dressed, you can ask them how well they think that'll work — but otherwise, let them be in charge. Let go of the how, and help them foster independence.

If setting up a weekly calendar, talk with them about each day's activities as they place the magnets. 

How to Get Them to Actually Stick to a Routine Without Nagging

When setting up daily routines, timers are your BFF. I have a love-hate relationship with our Alexa, but one of the reasons I love her is that she's a stand-in for me in the nagging department.

Once we created the routine and hung it on the wall, I asked my daughter when she thought she should start her morning routine. She decided that she should be able to watch 20 minutes of YouTube on her iPad, so I used the Screen Time setting to limit the app to 20 minutes, but you can also use parental control apps.

In your house, you might set an actual time (like 9 a.m. for example) using an alarm on Alexa or your child's device. 

The key to their consistency is your consistency, and setting alarms on devices means you don't forget, either!

How to Get Them to Reference it

Kids naturally forget what's going on, which is part of why it's so helpful to use a visual schedule. When they ask you (as they inevitably will), your answer can simply be, "you tell me! Go check your chart!" Before long, they'll stop asking and check the chart on their own.