Timing transitions: tips and tricks!
Transitions are a part of everybody’s day! And to be honest, they’re still not my favorite! Timing them right can make it easier for children (of any age!) to change from one thing to another:
- Choose your timing. If you can, stop one thing and start another during a natural break in their activity. Just think, do you want to stop watching a show 3 minutes before it ends?
- If they finds transitions really hard, sometimes building more time into each activity. This gives them extra time to make the change and adjust.
Making transitions FUN!
What about the positive side of the transition? You can direct their attention from the change (that they may not like) TO something that they do like.
- Make it a game! ”Can you be quiet like a MOUSE?” or ‘Let’s play “I spy”?’
- Point out good things they can do AFTER the transition. “If we go inside right away, we’ll have extra time to play…(something child enjoys).”
- Praise them for handling transitions well. Focus on how good it is when you both work together as a team. “I liked when you helped me…”
Disappointment…and the tantrum
It’s OK if they are disappointed about having to stop. That’s natural. You can encourage them to use words to express feelings of disappointment.
But if they react negatively or throw a tantrum, be careful not to accidentally reward that behaviour by giving them more time on the activity. You can be understanding, but also clear and firm.
Adapted from: http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/transitions.html and: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/briefs/wwb4.pdf
