Routine sequence cards

Step-by-step strips for toileting, handwashing, dressing, bedtime and leaving the house.

For: Parents, teachers, support staff · Free to print, copy and share · No sign-up

How do I break a daily routine into steps for my autistic child?

Break it into the smallest steps that still make sense, keep the order the same every single time, and put the strip where the routine happens. Most routines that fall apart are not too hard — they are too many steps bundled into one instruction.

Get the PDF See all printables

The PDF is built in your browser on the next screen — nothing is saved or emailed.

How to use it

  1. Pick one routine. Do not start three at once.
  2. Watch the routine once and write down every step you actually do.
  3. Put one step per box, in the real order, using the words they already know.
  4. Fix the strip at their eye level where the routine happens.
  5. Point to the current step instead of repeating the instruction out loud.
  6. Only change the strip once the whole sequence is going smoothly.

Things worth knowing

Where a paper sheet stops

A printed sheet is fixed. It can't change when the routine changes, it doesn't know the person using it, and it can't put anything in writing for a school or clinic.

Want this made for your situation?

Nova can build the same strip with your own photos and keep it on the phone that is already in your pocket.

Nova is a support companion for autistic people, families and the professionals who help them. Every printed sheet carries a scannable code and this short link: portal.novaautism.com/s/routine-sequence-cards

Build it in Nova Get the PDF

Other free printables

Visual schedule template

Blank picture-and-word boxes for a morning, school, or bedtime routine.

First / Then card

Two big boxes: what happens first, what happens after. The simplest transition support there is.

Sensory profile checklist

Work through each sense and mark what soothes, what overwhelms, and what's still unclear.

Social story template

A blank, first-person story frame for a new place, a change, or something that keeps going wrong.

This sheet is a practical support, not medical, legal, or diagnostic advice.