Now and Next boards

Who can a Now and Next board help

A Now and Next board can be helpful for children who:

• find it challenging to move from one activity to another
• experience transitions or unexpected changes as stressful
• prefer clear, visual information to support their attention and understanding
• find spoken language alone difficult to process
• ask questions like “What is happening next?” or “What do I need to do?”

These boards support different communication styles and ways of processing information.

How to use a Now and Next board

• Think about how the child best understands information. Do they respond most easily to real objects, photographs, symbols, or written words? The board should be matched to the child’s communication and learning preferences.
• When introducing a ‘Now and Next’ board for the first time, use activities the child enjoys for both ‘Now’ and ‘Next’. This helps build trust, motivation and understanding of how the board works.
• Start with short activities to support engagement.
• Show the board to the child and point to each part as you use clear, simple language. For example, “Now snack… next outside.”
• When an activity is complete, acknowledge this and support the transition by pointing to the ‘Next’ section. For example, “Snack finished. Now outside.”
• Once the board is familiar and the child is comfortable, you can gradually include less preferred or more challenging activities in the ‘Now’ section. But you can still keep a motivating or regulating activity in the ‘Next’ section.
• Encourage the child to show that ‘Now’ is finished by removing the object, symbol, or picture. Some children enjoy placing it in a box or folder to represent completion.
• Consistent and predictable use helps the board be most effective. Use it regularly and in a supportive, flexible way.
• As confidence grows, the board can be extended to include more steps, such as ‘First, Next, Then’. Only do this if it feels supportive and manageable for the child.