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Haircut Plan

What happens at a haircut, how it might feel, and what your child can do about it.

Roo Bloom · boy illustrations

What might happen

  1. 1Going for a haircut
    A boy getting ready to leave the house for a haircut

    I am going to get my hair cut.

  2. 2We arrive
    A boy arriving outside the salon with a grown-up

    We arrive at the salon.

  3. 3Wait
    A boy sitting and waiting on a chair in the salon

    Sometimes we wait for a turn.

  4. 4Sit in the chair
    A boy sitting in the barber's chair

    I sit in the big chair.

  5. 5Cape on
    A cape being fastened around a boy in the chair

    A cape goes around me.

  6. 6Spray
    A water spray bottle wetting a boy's hair

    My hair may be sprayed with water.

  7. 7Cutting
    A hairdresser cutting a boy's hair with scissors

    Little bits of hair fall down.

  8. 8It may be noisy
    Clippers buzzing near a boy, shown with sound lines

    The clippers can sound buzzy.

  9. 9Ask for a break
    A boy holding up a hand to ask for a break

    A break is always allowed.

  10. 10Finished
    A boy with their finished haircut, cape coming off

    The haircut finishes.

  11. 11We leave
    A boy leaving the salon with a grown-up

    Then we can leave.

How might I feel?

Point to any that fit. More than one is fine, and there is no wrong answer — including feeling okay about it.

  • A boy looking worriedWorried
  • A boy looking unsureUnsure
  • A boy looking uncomfortableUncomfortable
  • A boy looking annoyedAnnoyed
  • A boy looking okayOkay
  • A boy looking excitedExcited

What can I do?

Cut these out. Your child can point to one instead of having to find the words.

  • Hold a grown-up's hand
  • Wear headphones
  • Watch something
  • Hold my favourite thing
  • Ask for a break“Break, please.”
  • Say it's too loud“Too loud.”
  • Say stop“Stop, please.”
  • Take slow breaths
  • Count to ten
  • Look away from the clippers

Now → Next

Show what is happening and what comes straight afterwards.

Now

Haircut

Next

do the next thing

First → Then

  • Sit in chairHaircut
  • HaircutNext activity
  • BreakBack to the haircut

Step cards

Cut these out and put them up in order.

  1. 1Go to salon
  2. 2Wait
  3. 3Sit in chair
  4. 4Cape on
  5. 5Spray
  6. 6Scissors
  7. 7Break if needed
  8. 8Finished
  9. 9Go home

For grown-ups

Two or three minutes of reading. The child's part is on the page above — this part is for you.

Before the haircut

  • Go through it together on a calm day, not in the car park five minutes before.
  • Two or three short goes over a few days works better than one long one.
  • Let your child stop whenever they want to. Making them sit through it again turns the resource itself into something to resist.
  • Ring the salon first. Ask for a quiet time of day, and say what helps — most will happily book you in when it is empty.
  • Pack whatever you chose above: headphones, the comfort item, something to watch.

During

  • Say less than feels natural. A running commentary is more to process, not less.
  • Show the card instead of explaining it. Point at the step you are on.
  • Offer one or two choices, not an open question. “Headphones or hold my hand?” is easier than “What do you want?”
  • Take the break the moment it is asked for. A break that arrives late teaches that asking does not work.
  • Name what you can see — “that sounds loud” — rather than correcting it. Agreeing costs nothing and it is usually true.

If your child refuses

  • Refusing is information, not misbehaviour. Something about it is not workable yet.
  • Try a smaller step: sitting in the chair with no cut, or watching a sibling go first, or just going in and leaving again.
  • A haircut done in two short sittings still counts as a haircut.
  • Some children manage clippers but not scissors, or the back but not the fringe. Getting part of it done is a real result.
  • Home haircuts, dry cuts, or a salon that will come to you are all reasonable alternatives, not a failure to do it properly.

If it does not work

Visual supports help many children and do not work for every child. This one may make a haircut more predictable; it cannot promise that a haircut will be calm, and a child who becomes distressed is not doing it wrong.

If haircuts are consistently distressing, or the difficulty extends to other everyday care like washing hair, teeth or clothing, an occupational therapist or your GP is a reasonable next conversation. This resource is educational material, not therapy or medical advice.

Roo Bloom · roobloom.com · Educational material, not therapy or medical advice.