2.5y–4.2y10 minDevelopmental playFree playSelf-care
Show Me: Picture Cues & Gestures
A quick visual-support routine where you makes simple picture cues and matching gestures for expected behaviours, helping your child understand what to do next with less verbal overload (useful for SEN or any child).
What you'll need
Essentials
- paper (or card from a cereal box)
- a pen or marker
Nice to have
- tape
- a small bag or envelope (to keep the cue cards together)
Movement level: low
What you'll do
The 4-step guide, with what to look for at each step, is for signed-in parents.
What this develops
What it practices
- Shows understanding and cooperates with some boundaries and routines.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Can inhibit own actions/behaviours, e.g. stop themselves from doing something they shouldn’t do.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Can usually tolerate delay when needs are not immediately met, and understands wishes may not always be met.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Aware of the boundaries set, and of behavioural expectations in the setting.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
Where it comes from
- Source
- Development Matters in the EYFS (DfE, 2012)
- Original guidance
- “Use pictures or consistent gestures to show children with SEN the expected behaviours.”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)