Transition times can be the most frustrating part of a toddler's day. Transition Times are the times of day when you move from one activity to another. I am trying to make a conscious effort to have transition times not only move smoothly for myself and my almost 2.5 year old daughter, but also be fun and educational.
Sing a Song:
For example, Clean-up time. You are cleaning up because you are getting ready to move on to doing something new. Singing a song is helpful here, "Clean-up, clean-up everybody, everywhere, clean-up, clean-up every body do your share." Also I find it easier sometimes to make Clean-up time a game, asking my daughter, "Can you find the red Lego and put it away?" or "Mommy is going to put the books away and you put the cars away." "Can you count five cars and put them away?" This promotes identifying colors and counting.
Another way is to make up your own song. I made up a song I use at the end of bath time that transitions into bedtime. It goes, "all gone water, all gone water, all gone water, it's time to go to sleep," and "read read read books." You can substitute read books with whatever it is that you do next, brush teeth, etc... When Clara was smaller, I signed and sung this tune to her and paused at the end for her to sign read books. Now she sings the whole song.
Break it Down:
Another transition time is getting ready to go out of the home. It can be overwhelming: you need to change your clothes, go potty, wash your hands, brush your teeth, and get your coat, hat and shoes on. There is a lot there that the child is hearing on what they need to do and sometimes within a short period of time. I often break it down using a chalk board, dry erase broad, or etch a sketch with an attached writing pen. I will write whatever it is I want my daughter to do next; i.e., "Brush Teeth time" when she has completed this task, I have her pull the lever on the etch a sketch to erase the prior task and then I write the next task, "Potty Time." She is really into this right now. I think it is as gratifying to her as it is to me to check something off my To Do List. This has a huge literacy component to it: spelling, writing, and reading. Clara, my daughter, has fun trying to guess what I have written or what I am going to write next, "I think Put on Shoes Time, Ma-ma!" Also she will remind me when I have forgotten to use the board or if it has not been erased yet from the night before. "Oh Ma-ma, it still says, Bedtime!!" She laughs a lot at this.
Just Wait a Minute:
Sometimes, I guess you need to wait a minute to see what your little one is going to do. This morning, I wrote Put on Coat Time and Clara went the other direction into the kitchen. I was starting to get upset and was about to say this to her when I observed her with her magnetic letters, pretending to spell Coat Time. "See, Ma-ma, says Coat Time." It didn't, but the idea was there, that's what's important.
Get Visual:
When I used to teach Preschool, I had a schedule of the day posted on the door; this is also handy. I used photos that I had taken of the children. For example, I had a photo of the children eating breakfast with word 'Breakfast' next to it and the time 8:00- 8:45am. For clean-up, I had a photo of children putting toys away or washing hands and the schedule went on for the whole day until the children left, waving good-bye, Go Home Time. It was extremely helpful when Ia new child entered the class. It is something that can be done at home as well.
There are a lot of ways to do it. I use photos. You can use magazine clippings, or clip art from the computer. You can laminate and use Velcro to have the pictures be removable. This is helpful and fun for a child to match the picture to the word of what is next on the schedule. You have your child get involved and ask him/her what should we have on our schedule and he/she can help decorate. I have seen this done in a binder or on a big poster board. You can also just do it for one portion of the day that might be difficult for the child such as "Potty Time," "Bedtime," "Dinner Time," "Bath Time," etc... Children love having a routine: it makes them feel safe and gives them boundaries.
Give Choices:
Transition Times can be taxing because you are asking your child to move on and do whatever comes next. If you put yourself in your child's position, he/she is hearing a lot of 'do this' or 'do that' and maybe he/she does not want to cooperate. I find this is the case because the child wants control. Give choices of two things that you would like your child to do and have them chose what he/she would like to do first (within reason, of course, and not all day long at every transition). "Do you want to brush your teeth first or go potty?" You can also say let's do something Mommy wants to do and then do something Clara wants to do. Mommy wants you to eat lunch first and then after that, we can do something you would like to do, like get the mail, or read a book, etc.. This gives the child the control that he/she is seeking and a voice to say what he/she wants.
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