Tips for Reducing Behaviors During Transitions

Picture this: you have 30 minutes before your pediatrician appointment and your child is playing with their favorite toy. You determine that it is time to start getting ready, so you take the toy out of their hand and start getting them dressed. Your child smiles and puts on his/her coat to get in the car without a single tear shed.

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I am going to assume that this scenario is completely unrealistic for many parents. A more realistic scenario would be that your child began to cry and scream for the toy, which resulted in bribing the child with snacks or screen time in order to get them out the door. If this scenario resonates more with you, absolutely no judgment. We have all been in this situation one time or another, but what if there were a few strategies you could implement to make transitioning between activities a little bit easier?

Transitions happen multiple times a day from play time, meal times, doctor appointments, play dates, etc. Although these are the big transitions, there are smaller moments as well including switching to a new toy, finishing a Youtube video, getting out of the car, taking turns with a toy, and finishing a snack. Here are some great tips to help better prepare your child for transitions throughout your day:

1. Use a timer or verbal warning. It is most likely that your child will not understand the concept of five minutes right away. Overtime, they will understand that when you say “5 minutes”, they only have a finite amount of time left on that activity. Implementing a timer provides a visual representation of the time remaining. One of my favorite timer apps for kids is called “countdown”.

2. Tell them what is coming next. Provide a description of what the next activity will be so your child understands why they need to put away their toy. Example, “In 5 minutes, we need to put on our shoes and coat so we can drive to the doctor. Your doctor wants to make sure you are healthy.”

3. Use first, then language. "First, then” language is a powerful tool because it simplifies the directions to help your child better understand expectations. It also provides tangible, specific steps for your child to follow. “First we turn off the TV, then we put on our shoes”.

4. Include your child in the clean up. Allowing your child to feel a part of the process will give them more control over the transition. Let your child wipe their tray after a snack, put the toy in the bin, or turn off the lights. The same holds true when preparing for the transition by allowing your child to help with the steps. Let your child pick out which shoes they want to wear or allow them to open the door.

5. Allow time for processing the transition. It is important to give your child time to process the change as well as validate their feelings. Allow a few extra minutes for your child to become upset before offering new solutions as a distraction. While they are processing, you can validate their feelings with “I know it is hard to put away your favorite toy” or “I know it is frustrating when we have to turn off the TV”.

We encourage implementing these strategies into both small and large transitions throughout the day. Use consistent, simple and clear language so your child understands the expectations clearly. If you feel your child has difficulty following directions or has difficulty transitioning between activities, contact Seedlings Pediatric Therapy for a consultation today. Seedlings Pediatric Therapy provides on-site speech therapy to families in South Minneapolis and surrounding areas.