Teaching and classroom support
Morning routine cards
Personalise twelve picture-supported cards for a morning sequence, arrange them on a board and move a marker through Now, Next and Finished. The page includes style and print controls; add suitable visuals and adapt the routine to the people using it.
Read the material
Personalise twelve picture-supported cards for a morning sequence, arrange them on a board and move a marker through Now, Next and Finished. The page includes style and print controls; add suitable visuals and adapt the routine to the people using it.
Routine cards and ordering board. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
Page 1
NAME OR CLASS CUT-OUT ROUTINE CARDS Morning routine cards ROUTINE Cut out the cards. Use the picture spaces for classroom photos, drawings, or symbols. 1 ARRIVE 2 BAG 3 CLEAN image placeholder image placeholder image placeholder Come in Hang bag Wash hands I enter calmly. I put things away. I use soap and water. 4 CHECK IN 5 GROUP 6 LEARN image placeholder image placeholder image placeholder Find name Circle time Teacher time I show I am here. I sit with my group. I look and listen. 7 TASK 8 SNACK 9 MOVE image placeholder image placeholder image placeholder Work tray Snack Outside I choose one task. I eat and drink. I play safely. 10 RESET 11 CALM 12 HOME image placeholder image placeholder image placeholder Tidy up Story Home time I put items back. I share a quiet book. I get ready to go.
Page 2
NAME OR CLASS PUT THE CUT-OUTS IN ORDER What happens next? DATE Place one card in each space. Read the routine from left to right, top to bottom. 1 START 2 NEXT 3 NEXT place card here place card here place card here First we... Then we... After that... 4 NEXT 5 NEXT 6 NEXT place card here place card here place card here Then... Now... Then... 7 NEXT 8 NEXT 9 NEXT place card here place card here place card here After that... Then... Now... 10 NEXT 11 NEXT 12 FINISH place card here place card here place card here Then... Almost done... Last we... Move a card here when the Move a card here to prepare Finished NOW NEXT class reaches this step. for the change. Put completed cards here.
A teaching sequence
Arrange routine steps in a chosen order and use the Now, Next and Finished areas to make the current and upcoming step visible.
Review style and print layout
Use the Style menu to preview a visual theme. Select Print to open the browser print flow; review the print preview and page breaks before producing copies.
Do the print preview and page breaks keep each selected card complete?
Add familiar approved pictures
Add familiar classroom photographs, drawings or symbols in the image spaces using an approved editing workflow. Do not add a pupilās name or image unless school permissions allow it.
Which classroom image or symbol clearly represents this step?
Arrange the selected routine
Cut out the cards and place selected steps on the ordering board from left to right and top to bottom. Use fewer than twelve steps if that better fits the routine.
Does the order fit this class rather than requiring all twelve cards?
Move now, next and finished
Move the current card to Now, the next card to Next and completed cards to Finished as the class progresses. Then use the short sentence cues, such as āFirst weā¦ā and āLast weā¦ā, to talk through the order and prepare for a change.
Which card prepares for the next change in the routine?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
Check whether the visual sequence matches the real routine and whether pupils can identify the current step and next step. Ask pupils or staff which words and images are clear, and revise any step that causes confusion or does not apply.
Give a little support
Use one or two cards first and pair each with an actual object, photo or symbol the pupil recognises. Read the cue aloud, point to the current and next steps, and allow the pupil to communicate a choice or request a change.
Take the idea further
Invite pupils to help choose symbols, describe a missing step or suggest another order. The adult can prepare a shorter sequence for one transition, then add steps only when they are useful.
Things to keep in mind
The sample routine is not suitable for every classroom or pupil. Adapt steps, language, visuals and sequence to local routines, access needs and communication preferences. Image areas are placeholders, not supplied photos. Print output, page breaks, browser compatibility and keyboard/screen-reader behaviour have not been verified.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAIā¢, then review what you create.
Ideas for using this resource
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet the creators whose teaching interests connect with this template. Find an approach to try with your class.
Tan Poh Geok
Keeping the observation clear gives the teaching team room to compare perspectives and to make a decision with the wider context in view.
Meet the creatorHazel Koh Yan Ting
I teach an afternoon early years group, where learning may begin with an idea that has already been explored earlier in the day.
Meet the creator
Kalaivani Ramasamy
I support Nursery groups across different sessions, so I value ideas that can travel with the teaching team while still leaving room for each groupās experience.
Meet the creator
Siti Aminah Binte Osman
Settling in is personal, so a useful idea has to start with what the family has told us about the childās comfort and routine.
Meet the creatorJosephine Lau Mei Yee
Beginning a new setting can involve big changes for a young child and family, so I want our communication to be specific and honest.
Meet the creatorRohani Binte Ismail
I support several early years groups during the afternoon, so I need routines that help me stay attentive as I move between rooms.
Meet the creator
Nurhaliza Binte Jamal
A sentence frame or vocabulary prompt is useful when it gives a child another way to express an idea, not when it narrows what they are allowed to say.
Meet the creatorKanyarat Phukhaothong
I help children name what they want and what has changed during pretend play, staying close enough to support the conversation and help them return to playing together.
Meet the creatorSasithorn Bunyarat
I want activities to be practical and sensitive to the groupās readiness, with space for the teacher to adjust the pace.
Meet the creatorYupin Tha-ngam
I can contribute observations and practical ideas, while the teacher brings the wider context and decides what belongs in the plan.
Meet the creatorVo Thi Hong Nhung
Observation helps me understand what the child is communicating and what might make the next part of the day more comfortable.
Meet the creatorNgo Thi Bich Tram
I extend childrenās words in play and conversation while keeping their own meaning intact, using concrete prompts that support growing independence and relationships in everyday routines.
Meet the creatorAileen Kwok
A pupil may need to listen, use a gesture, try a word or practise it with a partner before sharing it with the class.
Meet the creator
Hannah Reed
I value a clear first draft of a letter, a checked calculation or a chance to rehearse a difficult conversation.
Meet the creator
Shannon Doyle
I am an early years apprentice and am building confidence by connecting what I learn in training with what happens in the room.
Meet the creator
Rosalind Bowyer
I observe before intervening in play, giving children time to develop an idea, then use the details to prepare a meaningful transition summary for their next teacher.
Meet the creator
Dawn Petherbridge
I write clear, natural progress checks grounded in childrenās observations and examples, and work with families on specific next steps that help children communicate their needs.
Meet the creatorPriya Sandhu
I support inclusion across early years rooms and help families and teachers describe what a child needs in plain language.
Meet the creator
Julie Anstey
I prefer a concise plan that names a small number of strategies, gives staff something practical to try and leaves room to review how it went.
Meet the creatorEwa Kaczmarek
A picture, key word or translated text can support participation, but the teacher still needs to check accuracy and purpose.
Meet the creator
Rachel Duffield
I plan a two-year rolling curriculum with clear subject maps and adaptable sequences, while asking what support helps an anxious pupil feel ready to take part in class.
Meet the creator
Tracey Fudge
I support Reception learning outdoors and record specific actions, materials and returning ideas, keeping description separate from interpretation so the teacher has useful details for the next step.
Meet the creator
Yvonne Hartnell
I want adults to listen carefully, agree what support will look like and revisit the plan as the child becomes more comfortable.
Meet the creator
Ruth Cadogan
Continuous provision gives children time to explore, while a clear focus on phonics and number helps us build foundational skills across the day.
Meet the creator
Owen Griffiths
Children can handle materials, explain an idea and take part physically while their phonics and number learning becomes more structured.
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Hannah Doyle
I connect continuous provision with phonics and number, using play, explicit teaching and observation to decide when to join childrenās exploration and what to offer next.
Meet the creator
Holly Rimmer
I support bilingual and EAL learners with task breakdowns and check-ins, working with teachers to clarify directions and vocabulary while keeping the subjectās language demand visible.
Meet the creator
Sarah Brogan
I provide named-plan learning support in Year 7, shaping prompts around the activity in front of the learner rather than using a general sheet for every lesson.
Meet the creator
Notes Between Bells
The two-page morning routine set has cut-out steps such as arrive, hang a bag, wash hands, check in, join the group and learn. The Now, Next and Finished areas make the current and upcoming step visible.
Tea Break Notes
The picture placeholders can be replaced with classroom photos, drawings or symbols, letting the sequence match a familiar local routine. First-person captions describe each action.
Extra Page
Choose the relevant steps with the pupil, add recognisable images and move the cards to show what is happening now. A pupil can point to the next card without needing to explain verbally.
Pencil Case Pal
The printed sequence is a template and may not match every pupil's morning or access needs. Adapt the steps and symbols with the learner, and avoid treating schedule use as a measure of compliance.