Recently I was putting together a list of “transitions“ for a child-care center that I do behavior coaching for. When behavior coaching, at least 75% of the focus is on proactive and preventative solutions to problems.

One of the daily struggles in this classroom (and most classrooms) is transitions.

When it’s time to stop playing, or eating, or it’s time to clean up or do rest-time this is called a transition. The kids are most likely to have harder behaviors during these transitions because they aren’t done playing, or they are moving to a less desirable activity.

When this happens day after day, we can’t just keep disciplining kids for misbehaving. Instead, we proactively get ahead of the hard transitions. Instead of spending the time after the transition goes wrong, we spend a little tiny bit more effort BEFORE.

Download a list of transition ideas below to bring FUN back into listening!

Bedtime Transition

One night we were struggling to get the kids to bed.

There was a lot of resistance, from both kids.

And I was WORN out.

“Time for bed”

“Nooo, I don’t want to!!!”

Mom tapped out.

Done.

Tired.

Not another fight.

Racking brain for how I’m going to get them there tonight.

Then... Dad starts dancing.

Come dance with me over here. Who wants to dance? Let’s dance!

And... the kids start dancing with dad.

to no music - just smiles, head and hips shaking. Like, I wish he would’ve let me film it. It was 🤩🤩🥳

I watched my husband turn into a magician.

“Now dance with me this way”

They followed...



Sometimes the resistance is there because nothing about your request feels fun/good to them.

Add a little bit of connection in and BOOM they aren’t just listening, they are enjoying the process.