Let's Talk About Transitions

By Rachael Hyland , Practice Partner, G8 Education?

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Transitions happen to everyone, every day, every week, every month, and every year. They are an integral part of our lives and can be major or minor. Just like you, children may welcome transitions and change, or might be reluctant or hesitant. ?

For children, transitions can bring about a range of emotions and sometimes prove to be stressful, challenging or disruptive to their play. Children face many transitions in their everyday life. The majority are not by choice, rather they are decided for them and across all aspects of their lives; in early childhood settings, at home, at school and in society. ?

Let us think about a typical day for a child coming into an early childhood centre. How many transitions has the child had before they have even walked in the door? Then a day of transitions lays ahead, from routine times to room changes, to different educators coming into the room. Children then transition to go home to more transitions, with mealtimes, bathing, night routines and many times these occur with little control or consultation. ?

Many transitions occur in an early childhood setting, including transitioning between indoors and out, mealtimes, nappy changes, sleep times and changing rooms. ?

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Mealtimes ?

Progressive mealtimes are becoming more common in early childhood settings. Providing children with greater choice, more freedom and respect to make decisions about when they are ready to eat and what they would like to eat, shows they are capable and competent in making decisions about their own health and wellbeing. Consider how you are approaching mealtimes and rather than interrupting or stopping children from their play and learning, is it possible to give the children time to finish their work, or encourage them to revisit their play after eating? ?

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Rest Times ?

When it comes to rest times, it is useful to reflect upon whether children are given choices about their rest, or are they governed by other factors. Involving young children in preparing for sleep by setting up their bed enables children to be more autonomous and take ownership within their routine times. Children who do not require a sleep should be offered an alternative in which their bodies are able to rest. ?

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Changing Rooms ?

When a child is moving up to the next room, they may be excited and nervous at the same time. What can you do to make it smooth and successful for the child and family? It is beneficial to start with building up the relationships with the educators in the next room in a planned way. This can be facilitated with the educators visiting the room to build a relationship. The child can then start visits to the next room, slowly building up positive relationships with the children and educators in the room and becoming familiar with the routines within the room. ?

Taking time to gradually transition children respectfully and in collaboration with them and their families, has a positive outcome for all. ?

Other significant transitions that happen in a child’s life may include moving house, the birth of a new sibling or separation of parents. These changes can have an enormous impact on their lives and their family’s lives, so it is important to consider how you can provide support during this time.?

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References: ?

Umina Child Care Centre, Umina, Central Cost of NSW. Transitions between groups, setting and Beyond Case Study 1. Early Childhood Australia. Retrieved 4th January 2022.TransitionsBetweenGroupsSettingsAndBeyond-CaseStudy1.pdf ?

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Footscray Nicholson Children’s Centre. Victoria University. Transitions between groups, setting and Beyond Case Study 2. Early Childhood Australia. Retrieved 4th January 2022. TransitionsBetweenGroupsSettingsAndBeyond-CaseStudy2.pdf ?

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MLC Kindle, Transitions between groups, setting and Beyond Case Study 3. Early Childhood Australia retrieved 28th February 2022. TransitionBetweenGroupsSettingsAndBeyond-CaseStudy3.pdf ?

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DEEWR, Continuity of Learning and Transitions. Educators Belonging, Being and Becoming. 2010. Pages 36-38. ?

educators_guide_to_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia_2.pdf (acecqa.gov.au) ?

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Webinars ?

ECE online webinar: Understanding and enhancing young children’s transitions - YouTube ?