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After-school routine – free picture cards

Six picture cards for coming home, having a snack and choosing an activity. Download a free A4 sheet, or edit the labels and order without an account.

Created by Pictofy · Updated

Six cards to choose from

Noah shows six options for the afternoon. These cards are not a checklist to complete. Choose what fits your child and the day you are having.

  • Noah, wearing a blue jacket and backpack, steps through an open front door
    Come home
  • Noah lifts his blue jacket onto a coat hook with both hands
    Hang up jacket
  • Noah holds a red apple to his mouth and takes a bite
    Have a snack
  • Noah sits on a rug and builds a tower with wooden blocks
    Play with blocks
  • Noah sits at a table and makes a colourful drawing on paper
    Draw
  • Noah puts a red toy car into a blue box beside blocks and a teddy bear
    Put toys away

Print the cards

All 6 cards on one A4 sheet with names underneath, ready to cut out. To swap a card or change a label, open the sheet in the editor first.

  1. Choose a few relevant cards together. You could show coming home and having a snack; the others can wait or be left out.
  2. Print on A4 at 100% and cut out the cards. Or open the editor to change the words and order before printing.
  3. Point to the next card. Put it aside when the activity is finished. Change the plan together if the afternoon changes.
Download the cards (A4 PDF)

A4 · no account · no payment

With your own character: the starter pack includes two personal pictogram packs of your choice.

See the starter pack →

How do we make a short plan after school?

Start with what will happen just after arriving home. For example, lay out Come home, Hang up jacket and Have a snack. Look through the pictures together before using them. Change the labels to the words you use at home.

The plan does not need to cover the whole afternoon. If two cards are enough, show now and next. When your child needs time to settle without an activity, you can put the cards away and return to the plan later.

How do we show a choice between two activities?

Put Draw and Play with blocks side by side and ask what your child would like to do. Let them point, pick up a card or answer in their own way. A choice between two pictures is different from a sequence: it means one activity or the other.

To show a sequence afterwards, put only the chosen activity on the plan. Putting toys away can come later, when it is relevant. Your child does not need to choose both activities to use the cards.

How can we use the same plan tomorrow?

Save the PDF or keep the cut-out cards. Open Adapt this material below to keep an editable draft on this device. Choose Keep on this device and then Keep for 30 days. The draft expires 30 days after the last edit and stays in the same browser. Without that choice it expires after eight hours.

Look at the plan together next time: do the cards still fit, or does something need moving, removing or a different label? A saved plan is a starting point. It does not have to be the same every day.

Noah, the figure on the cards

Adapt the material to your day

Adapt activities and pictograms and print free without an account. Save to your account to open the material on other devices or share it. Ongoing updates to shared schedules follow your access.

Adapt this materialFind pictures in the library →

Questions about the material

Do we need all six cards every day?

No. The six cards are options. Use only those that fit the day's activities and choose your own order. The cards have no numbers.

Can we use these after nursery or an after-school club?

Yes, if the pictures fit your homecoming. They show everyday activities and are not tied to a school year. Change the title to After nursery, for example, and choose activities that make sense to your child.

Are playing and drawing the same as taking a break?

Not necessarily. Some children want an activity; others need fewer demands or time without a plan. Draw shows drawing. It does not tell you whether that activity feels like a break to your child.

Can I change the pictures and labels without paying?

Yes. Open Edit the cards before printing and adapt the example. These Noah cards and the PDF are free without an account. The starter pack with two personal pictogram packs is a separate purchase; it is not required for the free PDF.

Does this sheet choose a starter pack for me?

No. This is a free selection of existing cards. If you choose the starter pack, you select two of the available pictogram packs yourself. They do not have to be the activities shown here.

Read more about visual support from ADHD-foreningen and the National Autistic Society. Pictofy created the cards and examples on this page.

More free routines

Also read: pictograms for children · weekly schedule with pictograms