Visual Picture Schedule Cards for Pre-K and Preschool

Using a picture schedule in a pocket chart helps create a consistent daily routine in early childhood classrooms.

But it’s not just classroom decor, teachers should actually use it as an important tool daily in their classrooms.

What is a Visual Picture Schedule?

You can put a daily schedule on a magnetic whiteboard, or bulletin board in a pocket chart. Clipping a a clothespin to the chart helps to indicate when changes will occur.

Use a clothespin or magnet to show what comes next during each transition. A picture and the word on each card represent each activity.

Why Use a Picture Schedule for Preschool?

Using a chart with pictures serves as a visual cue to help young children know what’s happening next in class, making transitions smoother.

A picture schedule can help:
Ease separation anxiety by allowing children to see a visual representation of the day. When a worried child sees the clip moving down, they know they will soon see their family again.

How many times have you heard “I want to see my mommy!” on the first day of school? Or how about “When is lunch?” Consistent use of a picture schedule helps reduce anxiety.

For those students who have difficulty “finishing” a task and moving on to the next, using a two to five minute gentle reminder paired with the physical movement of the clip and the song helps ease the transition process.

Why Use a Picture Schedule?

Using a pocket chart or board to display your picture schedule helps create smooth transitions by giving your little learners a visual reminder of what is happening or is going to happen next in class.

A picture schedule can help:

• Ease separation anxiety by allowing children to see a visual representation of the day. When an anxious child begins to see the clip moving towards the bottom they know it is getting closer to the time when they will be reunited with their loved ones. How many times have you heard “I want to see my mommy!” on the first day of school? Or how about “When is lunch?” All of these problems are greatly diminished with the consistent use of a picture schedule.
• Those students who have difficulty “finishing” a task and moving on to the next. The two to five minute gentle reminder paired with the physical movement of the clip and the song helps them with the transition process.

Establish a Consistent Routine with a Picture Schedule

A visual schedule can help your students learn the routines and procedures more quickly. When they are familiar with the routine you will save time on transitions and gain time for learning.

Imagine wasting 5 minutes per transition, with 8-12 transitions a day – those minutes add up fast!

If you add all the instructional minutes lost throughout the year you’ll be shocked. A picture schedule will help you add more learning into your day so you can help your students meet the standards.

How to Implement Visual Schedules

First, hang the chart or cards in your large group area, at the student’s eye level.

Next, place the picture cards in the order in which they occur, first to last.

Then, point to the chart each time you transition from one activity to the next. Say something like “It’s almost time for Math; I’m going to move the clip down to Math in two minutes.” Sing a quick chant or song when it’s time to transition to re-direct the student’s attention.

Visual Picture Schedule Chant

I like to use the following chant because it’s easy to remember and does the trick:

Tune: Farmer in the Dell
It’s time for math now,
It’s time for math now.
Heigh-ho, did you know?
It’s time for math now.

Just change the name of the activity each time you sing the chant. Soon your students will start singing along with you as they transition.

When your students become familiar with the routine, you can select a student to be the “schedule helper.” The schedule helper is in charge of moving the clip when you begin to sing the transition song.

Visual Schedule Cards for Preschool

Creating your own picture schedule cards doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming, I’ve done all the hard work for you! Check out these editable schedule cards with 5 different color borders to choose from.

Each packet contains 20 pages and includes 67 editable cards for creating your own schedule. This resource offers PDF with fillable form fields for easily adding your own text.

The cards included for the following activities are:

• Lunch (2 versions)
• Snack
• Recess
• Playground
• Circle Time
• Math
• Literacy Stations
• Math Centers
• Math Stations
• Letter Work
• Math Workshop
• Literacy Centers
• Word Work
• Centers
• Art
• Music
• P.E.
• Gym
• Library
• Computers
• Technology
• Reading Workshop
• Writing Workshop
• Worship
• Bible
• Chapel
• Calendar
• Science (3 versions)
• Dismissal (2 versions)
• Breakfast
• Morning Meeting
• Table Time
• Language Arts
• Dental Hygiene
• Tooth Brushing
• Arrival
• Brain Break
• Hand Washing
• Bathroom (4 versions)
• Reading Buddies
• Free Choice
• Movement
• Social Studies
• Small Group
• Prayer
• Yard
• Rest Time
• Nap Time
• Guidance
• Story Time
• Mindfulness
• Sign-In
• Religion
• Yoga
• Goodbye
• Greeting
• Welcome

All schedule cards are in PDF format. Each packet offers boxes that you can easily type text into for customization.

To type your own text, open the document in free Adobe Reader. Place your cursor in the box, type your text, and press enter. Please note that you cannot change fonts and font sizes.

Free Editable Daily Schedule

When preschoolers have a predictable and consistent daily schedule in place and they know what your expecations are for each upcoming activity, they feel safe and secure and are ultimately more willing to learn.

I’ve taught both full and half-day schedules and I’ve included free editable templates of both types for you here. To have the editable schedules emailed to you, simply fill out the form below.

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