Free Printable First-Then Board (PDF)

Last updated: October 12, 2026

Here you can download a blank First-Then board as a PDF and print it at home. There are six free files: a 2-card board, a 3-card board and a sheet of label cards, each in A4 and US Letter. No sign-up and no email.

Which First-Then templates can I download?

You can download three templates, each in two paper sizes. All files are free, black and white, and one page long.

• Blank First-Then boardTwo empty cards, First and Then, with an arrow between them. Landscape.
  Download A4 (PDF)Download US Letter (PDF)
• Blank First-Then-Next boardThree empty cards: First, Then and Next. Landscape.
  Download A4 (PDF)Download US Letter (PDF)
• First / Then / Next label cardsA sheet of 18 small labels to cut out: 6 First, 6 Then, 6 Next. Portrait.
  Download A4 (PDF)Download US Letter (PDF)

Which file should I print?

Start with the blank First-Then board in your paper size. Use A4 in Europe and most other countries, and US Letter in the United States and Canada.

• Two cards are right for most children at the start. One task, one reward.
• Three cards are for a child who already follows two cards calmly. Read more in the First-Then-Next guide.
• Label cards are for a board you build yourself: on a folder, on the fridge, or on a strip of cardboard. Stick the labels on, and put your own pictures under them.

How do I use a blank First-Then chart?

Put a picture of the task on the First card and a picture of the reward on the Then card. Then show it to your child and say the two words. That is all.

1. Print the page. Each card has a big empty space for a picture and a line for the word.
2. Add the pictures. You can draw, glue a photo, or stick on a picture card.
3. Write one or two words on the line, for example “Shoes on” and “Park”.
4. Show the board. Point to each card and say: “First shoes on, then park.”
5. When the task is done, give the reward right away.

A First-Then board is a kind of visual support. A training guide from the University of North Carolina calls it a first/then schedule: two events in a row that help a child understand what comes next (see Sources).

How do I make a paper board last longer?

Laminate the page, or put it in a clear plastic sleeve. Then you can use the same board every day.

• With a plastic sleeve you can write on top with a dry-erase marker and wipe it clean.
• With small velcro dots you can change the pictures in a second. Put one dot in the middle of each card and one on the back of each picture.
• Thick paper or card works better than thin paper if little hands will hold the board.
• Keep the pictures you use often in an envelope taped to the back.

What printer settings work best?

Print at 100% size, or choose “Fit to page” if the edges are cut off. Black and white is fine, because the templates use no colour.

• The two boards are landscape pages. Most printers turn the page by themselves.
• The label sheet is a portrait page. Cut along the dashed lines.
• If the paper size is wrong, the board looks too small or part of it is missing. Download the other size and try again.

Can I print a board with my own pictures?

Yes. Make the board on this site first, with icons or your own photos, and then print it. It is free, and your photos stay on your device.

1. Open the board and tap the pencil on a card.
2. Choose an icon, or take a photo of the real thing: your child’s shoes, your park.
3. Open the menu (the three dots) and tap Print.
4. Choose “This pair”, “All pairs” or “Blank template”.

Each pair prints on its own page, with the pictures and words already on it. This saves you the cutting and gluing.

Is paper or a screen better?

Use what your child looks at. Paper is better in places where a screen is a problem, and a screen is faster to change.

• Paper works in the bathroom, in the car, in a school bag and at the table. Nothing else is on it, so it does not pull attention away.
• A screen is good when the plan changes often. You change a card in a few seconds, and the board can show a check mark when the task is done.

Many families use both: the same pictures on the phone and on the fridge.

Sources

• Sam, A., & AFIRM Team (updated 2024). Visual Supports: EBP brief packet. Autism Focused Intervention Resources & Modules (AFIRM), UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. Brief packet (PDF)

More guides

• First-Then-Next boardThe 3-card board: what it is and when a child is ready.
• First-Then board for autismHow to start, photos or icons, and how to fade it out.
• First-Then board for toddlersTiny tasks, tiny rewards, potty training and tantrums.
• First-Then board vs visual schedule vs token boardA simple table: when to use which.