Helping Very Young Children Transition During Daily Activities

Transitioning is an issue which causes havoc in the lives of many people, most significantly, children. Young children do not have the ability to "regulate" their activities and emotions completely, and therefore, transition time usually leads to "undesired" behaviors (e.g., yelling, kicking, crying, etc.). Often these behaviors often result from their inability express their wants and needs. Understanding a child's developmental level, and finding ways that work for their individual learning and processing style, will help make transition time easier for you and your child.

It is often reported to me by parents that their children act differently at child care/school than they do at home. This is a very accurate reflection about young children. Children are often very adept at knowing where they may be able to "bend the rules", or "stray" from the schedule. They take this opportunity to test the adults in their life, and see if these rules will stay after they exhibit an undesired behavior. Home is often less structured than child care/school, and for good reason. Children need a safe place where they can relax and unwind, with unconditional love and support. Good child care centers/schools provide a nice blend of structure and free play during the day, but all good schools provide a clear schedule for children. This schedule provides regularity and predictability, which young children greatly need. Home often lacks the "routine" or "schedule" that organized centers of care provide.

The schedules in place at centers/schools allow children to have a sense of control over their day in the form of predictability. They are aware of what their day looks like, and are informed about what will happen and "when". Children at this young age don't necessarily understand the formal concept of "time", but do understand sequences of events (for example, they may not understand that snack is at 10:30 a.m., but they most likely will understand that when circle time is over, snack will follow). A good way to represent the daily schedule or a certain routine is through pictures. Having pictures posted in a vertical sequence (at the child's level) that are clear can keep a child informed about what will be happening with them. We all like to be informed about what expectations are in place for us on a particular day. Children deserve the same courtesy, and they often perform much better when provided with these cues. When an activity has been completed, show the child that the picture representation has been removed form the schedule. This allows them to understand visually that part of their day is over, and identify more clearly that which comes next.

Another important aspect of transition is giving the child an appropriate prior warning that an activity is about to end, and a new one s to begin. Again, as mentioned above, children do not understand the formal concept of time. If you tell a child that they have five minutes to clean up, this will have absolutely no meaning to a child who can't tell time. It may be useful for you as an adult to know, but it is of no use for the child who is doing the cleaning up. Focus instead on giving cues with meaning specific to the child and their developmental age. For preschoolers, an appropriate "clean-up" cue would be to set a visual timer (there are some neat light-up hourglasses) indicating the time left, signing a clean-up song, demonstrating the proper method of cleaning, and then ringing a one minute warning bell. You have presented the idea of cleaning up, while reinforcing the idea visually, verbally, by demonstration, and through auditory input. This will reach a child's processing on a variety of different levels. Since all individuals learn and process information differently, presenting through a variety of different modalities will help reach most children.

Remember that young children are "works in progress", and that they are not born with the skills they need to be successful. We do not live in isolation, and therefore need good models to learn from. Offer praise for any attempts young children make, not just the successful ones. Keep praise specific and meaningful.