That magical time between activities where things can go sideways! Whether it’s cleaning up after lunch or coming in from outside, children can feel confusion, frustration, and show us through challenging behaviors.

Getting Down to The Basics…

• Warnings and time countdowns “20 more minutes…10 more minutes…5 more minutes”
• Excited redirection “Hey we’re all going to do THIS! WOW!”
• Some statements help!

1. 1. First…and then. “First we go to the store, and THEN we can have our treat.” It helps to have a fun activity to look forward to.
   2. Alternatives to “no”
      1. Great idea! Sorry we can’t do that right now. We will do that later.
      2. That sounds like fun. We will do that after lunch.
   3. Things like: “Help me turn off the light” “Let’s get your toy before we go…”
   4. We can give choices about other things that are part of the transition, instead of asking a question they WILL want to say NO to.
      1. Do you want to go to the bathroom by yourself or do you want me to go with you?
      2. Do you want to share the blue one or the red one?
      3. “We have to go the car in 2 minutes. You can take a toy with you. Which one do you want to pick?’

When thinking about transitions, we can ask ourselves:

1. How do I prepare children to move from one activity or setting to another?
2. Do I plan my daily schedule to include transition times and consider what the children and adults in the setting will do during these times?
3. What activities such as singing, playing word or guessing games, reciting rhymes, or doing finger plays can I do with the children in my care so the time passes more quickly as they wait for the bus to come, for other children to finish using the bathroom (e.g., if location requires the entire class to toilet at the same time), etc.?
4. How do I meet the individual needs of children who might need more support or different types of support during transitions (e.g., photos to help them anticipate what activity is next, directions given in a child’s home language or sign language, an individual warning to a child that soon it will be time to clean up and begin a new activity)?
5. Do I have too many transitions between activities?
6. Do children become frustrated at not having enough time to finish a project or activity?
7. How do I help children become more independent across the year as they make transitions from one activity to another (e.g., gathering backpacks and putting on boots, picking up toys)?
8. Do I provide positive attention to the children following the transitions that go smoothly (e.g., the times that children pick up the toys without prompting)?
9. Do we need to teach a new skill  to help them make it easier? Teaching to hang up a coat, teaches independence when coming in from outside.

Adapted from: http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/transitions.html and: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/briefs/wwb4.pdf