What Is a Now and Next Board? A Practical Guide for UK Families
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When a child finds changes difficult, a long explanation of the whole day can be too much information. A Now and Next board reduces the question to two visible steps: what is happening now, and what comes immediately afterwards.
This kind of visual support is widely used in UK SEND settings because it can make routines and transitions more predictable. The aim is not to force compliance. It is to make the next step easier to understand.
What does a Now and Next board look like?
Keep it simple:
NOW: Get dressed
NEXT: Breakfast
Or:
NOW: Homework
NEXT: Lego
You can use words, photographs, symbols or simple pictures depending on what your child understands most easily.
When can it help?
A Now and Next board can be useful when the difficult part is moving from one activity to another, starting a non-preferred task or understanding what will happen after the current activity.
Common home examples include getting ready for school, leaving the house, bath time, bedtime and stopping screen time.
1. Show only two steps
The strength of the board is its simplicity. If you add the whole morning routine, it becomes a timetable rather than a Now and Next support.
2. Use concrete language
Write the action rather than a vague outcome. “Shoes on” is clearer than “Get ready”. “Maths worksheet” is clearer than “Do schoolwork”.
3. Make completion visible
When the NOW task is finished, remove it, tick it or move the NEXT card into the NOW position. This helps the child see that the sequence is moving forward.
4. Avoid using NEXT only as a reward
NEXT can be something enjoyable, but it does not always need to be a prize. It can simply be the next real event: coat on → car, bath → pyjamas, breakfast → shoes.
5. Prepare changes before the difficult moment
Introduce the board while everyone is calm. If a plan changes, update the visual rather than relying only on repeated verbal explanations.
What if it stops working?
Check whether the child understands the symbols, whether the task is too broad, whether the board is being introduced only during conflict, or whether the real barrier is sensory discomfort, anxiety, fatigue or difficulty stopping a preferred activity.
Clarikind support for difficult transitions
Browse Clarikind Transitions for visual tools designed around stopping, switching and making the next step clearer.
For the wider parent framework, Mum, Dad… Why Does My Brain Do That? explains the reasoning behind practical supports for routines, transitions, emotions and communication.
UK guidance
UK SEND and NHS resources commonly recommend simple visual timetables, pictures, short instructions and advance warning of changes. Keep the tool individual to your child and review it as their skills develop.
Clarikind resources are practical family supports and are not a substitute for individual medical, psychological or educational advice.