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Smoothing Out Transition Time

© Dorene Davis

Many young children have problems switching from one activity to another. They get so involved in what they are doing, or are so resistant to dealing with a change, that the result is crying, temper tantrums, and refusal to co-operate at all in the simplest tasks, like getting dressed, cleaning up toys, even eating a meal. Here are some tips for dealing with transition times successfully in childcare settings.

Discuss with the children in the morning what you will do that day. Knowing what to expect takes away the fear of the unknown associated with changing activities. Find a schedule that works for your group and stick to it. Kids are creatures of habit and love to know what is next, and it gives them a sense of control over the day.

Always give a warning before changing activities . A five minute warning works well. Set a timer. Use the one on your stove if you don’t have a small kitchen timer. Tell the children, “When this timer goes off, it will be time to pick up your toys and get ready for lunch.” That way they have a definite signal that it is time to change activities. They know what to expect at the sound of the timer, and have time to mill it over in their minds, and begin thinking about the next activity without being thrown into the change head first.

Sings songs at difficult times. If your children don’t like to clean up, find a little clean-up song. Sing their favorite song while getting ready for a new project. Start singing a song when it’s time for lunch. That can be your signal that it is time to change activities. Choose one song for each activity and keep with it. Routine is a big comfort for little ones. A story before naptime will help the children relax by giving them a quiet activity to focus on. Have them lay on their nap mats while the caregiver reads.

Allow for projects that the children might want to continue after nap. If a child is building in the block center, and becomes upset when it is time to clean up, look at the cause for his resistance to change activities. It might not be that he doesn’t want to go to circle, but that he is so involved in what he is building, or has worked so hard on it, he doesn’t want to see it torn down. Allow it to stay up, but have the child clean up the unused blocks. Then he can return to it in the next time you have free play. The same might be true at pick-up time at the end of the day.