Transitions are challenging for many children, especially those who struggle with focus, attention, perspective taking, or executive function. Children are very present-focused and can have a hard time transitioning from one activity to the next—even when they like the upcoming activity! As adults, we can help children to gain skills for time awareness and transitioning over time. Here are some tips to help ease transitions and create better habits for the future:
Let them know what you expect—before starting an activity, let them know what you expect of them when the activity is over. All of your expectations should be clear and stated in the positive to help increase comprehension and compliance. Here are some examples:
*When our time is finished at the park, I expect you to hold my hand and walk to the car
*When your time is up, I expect you to turn off the IPAD with a positive attitude
*When it is time to leave, I expect you to put on your shoes the first time that you are asked to do so
Gain your child’s attention—before letting them know that a transition is coming up, you need to have their full attention. Walk over to their child, say their name, wait for them to look at you and then let them know about the upcoming transition.
Show them a visual timer—when giving a warning about an upcoming transition, it is helpful to show the child a visual timer rather than verbally saying, “we are leaving in 2 minutes.” Children do not yet have good time awareness and a verbal “2 minute” warning will not always be sufficient. Some children need to see a visual to fully understand how much time they have left to play. We recommend using a “Time Timer” or a similar app on your phone such as “Kid’s Timer.”
Ask them to repeat your directions—after you have reviewed expected behaviors, gained your child’s attention, and showed them a visual timer—ask them to repeat your directions to confirm understanding. This will help you to know that they heard you and will help to reinforce the plan in their mind.
Bridge the transition with words—many children have a hard time with seeing the future and remembering what they like about the next activity. You can help them to develop this skill by reminding them of their favorite parts of the next activity, asking them some choice questions (“are you going to play with Jack or Sara today?”), or describing the senses that they might experience (“remember that cinnamon smell at the bakery, I wonder if we will smell that again today” or “I noticed a new poster up in your classroom, do you know what it is about?”).
Bridge the transition with an object—for younger children, it can be helpful to give them a transitional object to help bridge the transition from one activity/space to the next. This could be something that travels with them (ex: teddy bear, bracelet, or water bottle) or can be something that you ask them to help you with in transporting from one place to another (ex: letter to give to the teacher, carrying groceries or toys to the car).