What is a first-then board?
A first-then board is a visual support with two pictures: the task that has to happen first and the thing your child wants that comes right after. “First shoes, then outside.” For an autistic child, or a child with a developmental delay, the board turns a long spoken explanation into a plan they can see.
Many hard moments in a day are really about not knowing what comes after. “Brush your teeth” is a demand. “First teeth, then book” is a plan with a good ending your child can see. A picture also stays put while words come and go, so your child can look back at the board as often as they need to. Talking is not required.
This page is the ready-made printable. Prefer to customize? Make your own first-then board with any task, any reward or your own photos in the free first-then board maker.
What’s in the free first-then board printable
The free first-then board printable is a 10-page color PDF in US Letter size with SuperChild’s own pictures. It has a first-then board, a first-next-then board, 12 “first” task cards, 12 “then” reward cards, a page of blank cards for your own photos and a log page for each pair you use.
- A first-then board with two squares, and a first-next-then board with three. The reward always goes in the last square.
- 12 “first” cards: shoes on, wash hands, table time, brush teeth, get dressed, clean up, car seat, dinner, haircut, doctor, bath, coat on.
- 12 “then” cards: bubbles, tablet, swing, outside, snack, book, music, play, jump, slide, play dough, tickles.
- A page of blank cards to draw on, write on or glue a photo to.
- A log page: date, first, then, whether your child did the first part (I, H or X), whether there was upset, and notes.
Say less, and keep the first-then board fair
A first-then board works with just two words per picture: “First shoes, then outside.” Long explanations and bargaining make it harder, because your child has to sort through all those words to find the plan. Repeat the same words once, and if your child is upset, pause and make the first task easier.
The one rule: the “then” always happens, as soon as the “first” is done. If you are not sure you can deliver it, choose a different card. A board that promises the playground and then doesn’t deliver teaches your child that the board can’t be trusted.
Drinking, meals, the toilet, comfort and a break are never something to earn, so they never go on the “first” side as a condition. If your child is upset or in pain, stop and help first, then make the task smaller.
When to use a first-then board
A first-then board works best at the moments that are hard right now: getting out of the bath, teeth brushing, leaving the playground. It works for the leaving part too: “First car, then home.” When first-then is easy, try the first-next-then board, with the favorite activity always in the last square.
If your child is ready for more steps than that, a strip from the visual schedule printables or the token board printable is the next tool.
The log tells you what to do next. Mostly independent? Try the board in a new place or with another adult. Some help needed? Keep the same pair and make one thing easier. Repeated upset? Go back to a shorter first task and teach again when your child is calm.
First-then or now and next board? Using one at school and in therapy
A now and next board is the UK name for a first-then board: the same two pictures, with “now” and “next” as the headings. UK nurseries and SEN classrooms use now and next boards for transitions, and many Australian classrooms use the term too. This printable works for both, so use whichever words your child hears at school.
Teachers, BCBAs, speech therapists and occupational therapists all use first-then boards. In the UK, a teaching assistant, the SENCo or a speech and language therapist (SLT) may already use one as part of SEN support or an EHCP; in Australia, it is often a speech pathologist or an NDIS-funded therapist. Ask your child’s team and use the same words at home: if they say “first work, then play”, say exactly that.
How to use a first-then board
To use a first-then board, put a short task your child can finish in the “first” square and something they really want in the “then” square. Point to each picture and name it in two words, “First shoes, then outside,” help your child start, and deliver the “then” the moment the first part is done.
- Print the board and cards in color at actual size (on A4, choose fit to page), cut them out and laminate them. Add hook-and-loop (Velcro) dots and sort the cards into a “first” envelope and a “then” envelope.
- For the first few times, choose a first task your child can finish in under a minute and a “then” they really want right now.
- Point to the first picture and name it, then the second: “First teeth, then book.” Say it once more if needed, without bargaining.
- Wait. Help your child start the first task if they need it.
- As soon as the first task is done, the “then” happens, every time.
- Write the pair and an I, H or X on the log page. Once the board works, make the first part a little longer, then try the first-next-then board.