BACKGROUND: Classroom transitions occur at drop-off and several times each day, and are often challenging for young children, caregivers, and educators. These transitions can often be stressful and create anxiety, particularly for infants and toddlers. To ease this anxiety, educators and caregivers can establish routines involving positive interactions and a responsive environment (Jung, 2011; Xu, 2006). Routines should be responsive to individual children’s needs, and consistent implementation is essential for success. We present ways to establish and support individualized routines to promote successful classroom transitions.
AUTHORS: Jazatavia L. Allen, Early Childhood Specialist, Sophie Rogers School for Early Learning; Kristin S. Farley, Doctoral Candidate, Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy
Creating individual routines
- Consider the child’s age and developmental needs (e.g., communication or motor skills, education plans)
- Create spaces in the environment that allow children to engage in different levels of activity (e.g., racing cars, reading books, building blocks)
- Introduce and model verbal or visual supports (e.g., timer, daily schedule cards)
Establishing and implementing routines
- Collaborate with educators and practitioners to develop routines
- Create a consistent way to communicate upcoming transitions throughout the day (e.g., song, lights off)
- Adjust routines to respond to children’s changing needs (e.g., stranger anxiety, illness)
APPLICATION: In the scenarios below, Tavia supports children’s individualized transition routines.
During circle time Tavia reads a social story to a group of preschoolers that models transition behaviors. “When Jax comes to school he can wave to his mom or give her a hug to say goodbye. Then Jax can choose where he wants to play.” Tavia follows up by asking each child what they do when they say goodbye to their parents. Some children respond by saying, “Ask for a hug or kiss,” or “Read a book and wave.” She finishes circle time by having each child choose one activity from blocks, books, dramatic play, or art before library time. As children leave the circle Tavia sings their daily transition song to remind the children how to be safe while making a fun choice.
Tavia has noticed that Ronan, a young 3-year-old, regularly becomes defiant and starts screaming when he has to leave the Lego table at clean-up time. Tavia and Ronan’s father decide to use a timer as a visual support to help Ronan have a successful transition. The next day, Tavia introduces the timer and explains the new plan to Ronan. Later she tells Ronan that it is 5 minutes before clean-up and has him help her set a timer. However, when the timer goes off Ronan still screams and refuses to leave the Lego table. Tavia helps calm Ronan and provides positive reinforcement when he cleans the Legos. After consistently using the timer with Ronan for all transitions for the next week, Ronan continues to scream so Tavia makes a small adjustment to the routine.
The next week Tavia shows Ronan a picture schedule to remind him of the day’s events. When Ronan sets the timer she gives him a “first-then” message by telling him, “First we will go to the library and then you can keep building Legos. You can save your work until after our library trip. First library, then Legos.” Ronan smiles and repeats, “First library, then Legos!” and hops in line with his peers. Tavia praises Ronan for staying calm and lets him choose what song to sing while walking to the library.
TO LEARN MORE:
NAEYC transitions
REFERENCES:
Jung, J. (2011). Caregivers’ playfulness and infants’ emotional stress during transitional time. Early Child Development and Care, 181(10), 1397-1407.
Xu, Y. (2006). Toddlers’ emotional reactions to separation from their primary caregivers: Successful home-school transition. Early Child Development and Care, 176(6), 661-674.
Supporting Transitions for Infants and Toddlers
Other Resources
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/sep2015/easing-first-day-jitters
https://crane.osu.edu/files/2020/01/Transition-Practitioner-Note.pdf