Everyday life · England
Learning everyday skills
Your browser or device provides the reading voice.
You can choose something you want to learn.
You can get help in a way that suits you.
Choose a task and small steps
Choose a task that matters to you.
You might want to shop, cook or use your phone.
Break the task into small steps.
Choose one part to practise first.
Use instructions you understand.
Pictures, objects or a demonstration may help.
Agree the help you want
Ask for the help you need.
People should give you time to respond.
Write down the help you want for each step.
Change one thing at a time if that helps.
Different equipment may make a task easier.
Ask about an occupational therapy assessment.
Safe practice and taking part
Get suitable help with hot or sharp things.
Follow your own eating and drinking plan.
You could practise what to say before a phone call.
You can use your own way to communicate.
You can take part in just one part.
Choosing what happens is important too.
You can ask to stop or have a rest.
Tell someone if something hurts or feels wrong.
Review and keep useful support
Notice what works for you.
Change the plan if you need different help.
You can still need support after learning something new.
One good day does not mean you never need help.
A new place or device may need more practice.
Keep useful reminders and support available.
What you can do next
This resource uses longer words.
You can explore it with someone who supports you.
Learn about active support Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- United Response: active support Web page
A guide for supporters about helping people participate in everyday activities.
- NHS: occupational therapy Web pageVideo
How an assessment may help with everyday tasks and equipment.
- Find help with digital skills Web pageLocal service
Local digital support and beginner learning opportunities.
- BTM: Easy Read everyday living booklets Web pageEasy Read resources
Includes moving home and what to do when someone dies. Some booklets are older; check dates and contact details.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Products you can explore
You can look at products on a separate page of this website.
Money earned from these links will help maintain Clearer Support and the My Life My Say app, and provide free advocacy.
Learning everyday skills with the support you choose
Choose a useful task, break it into steps and practise in a way that works for you.
People with learning disabilities, families and supporters · England
Choose your own useful goal
You might want to make a snack, choose shopping, use a washing machine, call a friend or arrange an appointment. Choose something you want to do, rather than a task chosen only to reduce staff work. Your goal may be to do one part or to direct someone else. Independence can include making choices and organising support; it does not have to mean doing everything alone.
Find a comfortable starting point
Talk about what you already know, enjoy and find difficult. Try the task at a time and place that work for your energy, attention, senses and communication. Check whether pain, fatigue, an unfamiliar setting or unclear instructions are getting in the way. Ask permission before helping physically. Distress or refusal is a reason to pause and understand what needs changing.
Break the task into manageable steps
Work out the separate steps together. Use photographs of the actual equipment, objects, a demonstration or a short written list. Practise one part before combining steps. A washing task might start with choosing which clothes need washing and finding the right basket. Do not assume a person understands a picture or instruction just because it has been shown once.
Give the amount of help that is useful
Active support means helping someone take part rather than doing every task for them. A supporter may demonstrate, give a cue, adapt the task or help with one movement. Allow time to respond and notice when less or different help works. Repetition can build familiarity, but endless testing or pressure can make learning unpleasant. Keep participation meaningful to the person.
Agree a practice ladder that can change
Write down the small steps for the person’s chosen task. For each step, note whether they want a demonstration, a prompt, adapted equipment or someone else to do it. Try changing one part at a time so it is clear what helped. Reduce prompts only when this is useful and welcomed; bring help back if needed. There is no required order from full assistance to doing everything alone.
Make equipment and the environment work
An occupational therapist can assess difficulties with everyday activities and suggest different methods, equipment or adaptations. Ask your GP or council about the route for assessment. A better grip, stable surface, clearer controls or different layout may help more than repeated instructions. Check equipment is appropriate for the individual; buying an aid is not a substitute for an assessment where one is needed.
Practise shopping, food and household tasks
A picture list, agreed spending plan or quieter shopping time may help. In the kitchen, choose a task suited to the person and follow any individual eating and drinking plan. Hot surfaces, sharp tools, electricity and cleaning products need appropriate support and safety arrangements. A generic worksheet cannot teach safe use of every appliance. Ask a knowledgeable supporter to demonstrate the actual equipment.
Practise calls and appointments
Prepare what you want to ask and how you will communicate. You could use a short script, pictures, a communication aid or a supporter who follows your wishes. Practise a call without contacting a real service first. Ask services for an accessible contact route if telephone or online systems do not work for you. Keep private information secure and agree what a helper can share.
Include people with profound and multiple learning disabilities
Someone can participate by choosing an object, looking towards a preferred option, activating a switch or sharing a familiar part of a task. Offer meaningful opportunities using the person’s communication and movement abilities. Notice comfort, enjoyment and refusal. Avoid treating speed or completing the whole task as the only success. Ask relevant therapists about adaptations and safe support for individual needs.
Notice progress and review the plan
Record what helped, what the person did or chose, and what to try next. Agree practice that fits their life and includes rest. Celebrate achievements in a way they enjoy. Skills can vary with health, stress, equipment or environment. Do not remove needed support just because a task went well once. Ask for a review when a plan or level of help no longer works.
Check that learning travels to a new situation
A skill practised with one phone, cooker or bus route may need different support elsewhere. Before changing the setting, explain what will be different and practise with suitable help. Keep reminders, labels, picture sequences or communication aids available for as long as they are useful. Record whether the person chose, started, directed or completed a step, and how it felt; a checklist of independent tasks alone can miss meaningful progress.
Words you could use
“I want to learn or take part in this task: … . Please help me choose the steps, equipment and amount of support that work for me.”
More useful links
- United Response: active support Web page
A guide for supporters about helping people participate in everyday activities.
- NHS: occupational therapy Web pageVideo
How an assessment may help with everyday tasks and equipment.
- Find help with digital skills Web pageLocal service
Local digital support and beginner learning opportunities.
- BTM: Easy Read everyday living booklets Web pageEasy Read resources
Includes moving home and what to do when someone dies. Some booklets are older; check dates and contact details.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Products you can explore
You can look at products on a separate page of this website.
Money earned from these links will help maintain Clearer Support and the My Life My Say app, and provide free advocacy.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 1 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- United Response: active support Web page
Meaningful participation, small steps, suitable assistance and choice.
- NHS: occupational therapy Web pageVideo
Assessment of daily activities, adaptations and access routes.
- NHS England: personalised care and support planning Web page
Individual goals, practical support and reviewing what matters.
- Good Things Foundation: finding support Web pageLocal service
Help with digital access and learning skills.
- Sense: learning disabilities Web page
Different learning and communication needs, including PMLD.
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