Transitions

By: Beka Meitler
Board Position: Member-at-large
Professional Title: Early Childhood Education Instructor

What is a transition?
A transition is a type of change, movement between, process or period of change. Children transition multiple times a day, often through self-direction or with the assistance of adults.

Top 10 tips on how to best support young children through transitions:

1) Make them minimal.
a. Transitions are a necessary part of each day, but minimizing full group transitions takes away the opportunity for confusion, mistaken behaviors and misguided engagement. Use small groupings when possible.
b. Think about classroom ratios and ask yourself, “Can I move part of the group with one teacher, instead of the whole group with two teachers?”

2) Make announcements for preparation.
a. Give children warnings before transitions occur. These are most effective when done one-on-one, using visual cues such as dimming the lights or holding up a “5-minute hand,” or with a familiar tune. For example, “Sunshine Room... 5 minutes.”

3) Make them FUN!
a. Use song, movement, chants and PLAY to support moving from one activity to the next or from indoors to outdoors. For example, “If you’re ready to go outside, touch your head (feet, nose, shoulders, shoes, hips).”

4) Make community decisions about them.
a. Encourage the children to help identify moving through a transition safely. For example, “Who can you find to be your partner?” “How can your body keep us safe?”
b. What does the line-up look like? Is there enough physical space for groups of children?

5) Make them consistent.
a. When a transition happens at relatively the same time of day or in the same sequence, children begin to predict the timing of the transition and become successful at self-directed periods of change. (i.e. clean up, snack time, nap time)

6) Make teachers the models.
a. Teachers are a vital part in the transition process and can encourage engagement of children by being actively involved.
b. Keep your mind on during these important parts of the day.
c. Model expectations include cleaning up WITH the children, and preparing areas by cleaning up materials children are not using before clean up time begins.

7) Make them a NEW learning opportunity.
a. Children use many skills throughout the day, but transitioning with multiple steps can be challenging. Break down the sequence of steps into learning opportunities. (i.e. first, next, last)
b. A good rule of thumb is the younger the child, the fewer steps you should use.
c. We want to view transitions as learning times, not just a way to move from one learning space/activity to another. Life skills are learned through transitions.

8) Make them age-appropriate.
a. Adding more children or steps to the process will make it less successful.
b. Hurrying a toddler slows down the pace to the speed of a turtle. Be patient and see #6.

9) Make sure YOU are prepared.
a. Prepping the classroom ahead of time cuts down the wait time children experience each day as they move from activity to activity. Give yourself five extra minutes in the morning before children arrive to prep for group times, outdoor play, small groups, activities and meal times.

10) Evaluate your transition.
a. Are they successful? How and why?
b. What parts of the day can you remove whole group transitions and, in turn, use small groups or individual transitions to support children?
c. Have a co-worker or supervisor help evaluate transitions throughout the year. What works with one group of children may need adjustments as new children join the classroom.

Reference: Larson, N., Henthorne, M., Plum, B. (1994) Transition Magician: Strategies for Guiding Young Children in Early Childhood Programs. Readleaf Press St. Paul, MN