Transition Your Way To a Brighter Day!

With: Tiffanie Kloida () & Kim Spankowski ()

A transition is anytime the children need to wait or change/move from one activity to another. Some examples are: cleaning up (change from play to cleaning), waiting for lunch or while in line, moving from one place to another, diaper changes or bathroom times as a group. Well planned transition activities can make or break your day! We want to walk you through some inevitable transition times of a typical day and arm you with ideas to implement tomorrow!

DIVIDE AND CONQUER!!!!!!!!

Make things a mystery…

Drop off time: /
  1. Question of the Day chart
  2. Who’s Here Today?chart
  3. Special Book basket
  4. Flannels for children to use or book on CD to listen to

Clean up time: /
  1. Theatrical Clean Up: children wear sunglasses, boas, neckless or use wands or feather dusters as they clean up
  2. Masking tape machine: make a tape bubble with the sticky side out around the palm of a child’s hand to clean up glitter, small scraps
  3. 5 Minute Friend- wears a glove with number 5 on it to remind friends of 5 minute warning before clean up starts
  4. Supervisor- daily job; this child wears the “super visor” to check if the room is cleaned up; if not pick a number of objects to go clean up (have numbers in a can and draw one to make it a mystery)
  5. Magic Clean Up Lotion- (antibacterial gel) squirt in the child’s hands before clean up time
  6. Simple Song- “I like the way that (child’s name) is ______”
  7. “Tidy Tub”- small bin out on table for “schnibbles” from Pinterest

Settling in/ Gathering for Group Time: /
  1. Helping Hand-High 5!- padded glove on a stick. Ask each child what they cleaned up & give them a “High 5” as they gather in group area.
  2. Bell- Each child rings the bell when they finish cleaning up and come to groupLight Up Wand-lights off and watch for the light
  3. Bubble machine- turn on as clean-up time is ending. See if we can finish and all sit before last bubble pops!
  4. Dr.Jean- “1, 2, 3, 4, Glue your bottoms to the floor. 5, 6, 7, 8, Hands to yourself and sit up straight”
  5. Class puppet- welcomes all to group, sings your “Hello” song
  6. Flannel Stories

Attention Grabbers: /
  1. Silly works every time!- inside of a dog toy, funny glasses, whistle, noise machines, etc
  2. Clappers
  3. Pop tubes

Fidget Toys: /
  1. Marble in Sleeve
  2. Tongue Depressor wrap- drill small hole, attach pipe cleaner to wrap
  3. Shoe Lace Slide- write numbers or letters on a long shoe lace. String on bead. Tie off both ends and slide bead to next number or letter.

“Dismissal” Times:
*Picking a Center
*Washing hands for snack/lunch
*Lining Up /
  1. I Have_____; Who Has _____ cards
  2. Caterpillar- each body segment has a different movement on it. Child picks a segment then they do that movement to go to a center (wash hands, etc)
  3. Robot Head and Parts- give each child a bolt, spring, etc. As they leave group to choose a center ( line up, etc.) they drop their item in the robots head
  4. Who Stole the Cookie? Each child gets a cookie, teacher starts chant and says a name. That child puts their cookie in the jar and picks next name.
  5. Olaf & Snowflake (or snowballs)Each child gets a snowflake or cotton ball “snowball”. When you call their name for dismissal they “feed” Olaf their snowflake. Or sing “(Ben) go wash hands (repeat), feed Olaf your snowball then go wash your hands”
  6. Paw Patrol Badges- Each child gets a badge. When you pick their name they drop the badge in the Paw Patrol bucket.
  7. Who Let the Letters Out- Dr. Jean song w/Letters
  8. What item was added/missing-Random items laid out on a tray, pick an item to take away and have the kids guess what item.
  9. Button Tree-Each child receives a button to put on the tree
  10. Beach ball toss- code sections of a ball. Throw, catch, do action/label item on their section
  11. Pinwheel-Children can blow on a pinwheel while waiting to go to the next activity

Getting dressed for outside: /
  1. Snow clothes songwith picture chart (Tune: Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes)
  2. Snow clothes flip chart for individual children (Pinterest)
  3. Coat flip/zip song: Zippety-Doo-Dah, zippety-ay! My friend ____’s flipping her coat today. Zippety-doo-dah, zippety-ay! Now pull your zipper up. Hip-hip hooray!

Lining up/going outside: /
  1. Picture Window or picture “flash”- cut a hold in a file folder, staple sides closed, add ANY picture in top behind cut out. Give children who are standing in line a glimpse and ask them to guess.
  2. Smelly Tubes- scent tubes in doorway. Children smell and pass to next in line while you wait for stragglers to line up.
  3. Paint Pallet- use a real brush to pretend to paint the room.
  4. “Move It- Move It” Jar- line leader picks a movement card from jar. That’s how everyone moves to get outside/to lunchroom/etc.
  5. “You Rock!”- Give each child a smooth rock to hold out to the playground. As they cross the doorway outside they add the rock to your bag and teacher says, “You rock!”
  6. Pete the Cat bucket- recycled container with picture of Pete. Children add a button or shoe as they head out the door

Quiet activities for after nap: /
  1. Tube drop- cement form cut in half, drill out hole size to match your tubes or straws they’ll be dropping through the holes
  2. Stick puppet stories- same cement form (above) but children fit stick puppets (i.e. 5 little ducks/monkeys) into pre-cut slits you’ve made
  3. Mustache Madness- laminate photos of children and teachers to draw mustaches and other features with dry erase markers
  4. Art Stick Puzzles- line up tongue depressors and draw a picture on them, this becomes an inexpensive puzzle and great problem solving activity
  5. Pompom Races- put masking tape “path” on the table. Use straws to blow a pompom along the path. (School agers love this on the tile floor)
  6. Pipe cleaner marble maze- hot glue pipe cleaners in a maze design onto sturdy cardboard. Let children move a marble along the path.
  7. Stick Together- Add Velcro to both ends of tongue depressors and build designs
  8. Silly Straws- “lace” felt scrap pieces onto and around the silly straw
  9. Wiffle Balls- fit drinking straws through holes in the ball. For preschoolers, use practice golf balls
  10. “O Ball”- pull flowy scarves through the holes
  11. Snowman Snow Storm-turn a gallon Ziploc bag inside-out. Draw a snowman on the inside. Turn right-side around; add shreds of white tissue paper. Insert a drinking straw to one end, zip the bag closed around the straw and have children blow into the straw to create the “snow storm”!
  12. I Spy Bags- reuse pencil pouches with clear window. Add small items amongst rice to find.
  13. Foam soap

Storytelling Ideas & Props: /
  1. Trash Can Old Lady-recycle old Beanie Babies or make laminated pictures
  2. Old Lady Who Swallowed A ______- paper version, adapt for each book
  3. “Log” with frogs and ducks
  4. If You Give A Mouse A Cookie- real mini items on a “cookie” to sequence story
  5. Story Stones-modge podge pictures (characters, objects, transportation modes, etc) to each stone. Children pick from a bag and you work it into a made up story. Leave them out and let children tell their own stories. Can also use as a dismissal transition: pick one and move like picture on that stone or character.
  6. Story Bracelets- use colored pony beads on a pipe cleaner to tell a story; ex: 3 Pigs (3 pink beads for pigs; yellow, light brown and dark brown for houses, grey for wolf)
  7. Spoon Puppets- wooden spoons transformed into simple puppets!

Quick Songs: / Always have a tune in your head! You can change the words to meet your transition need on the fly! See attached examples. Cut them apart, glue to a recipe card, add a book ring and hang it by your sink, in the bathroom, in your doorway for lining up times, etc.

Most of these ideas we’ve come up with on our own over (many) years in the field, others we’ve noted in the handout from resources such as Pinterest or “Dr. Jean.” The following books are also great resources to get you started: Transition Tips and Tricks for Teachers, Jean Feldman and Transition Magician, Nola Larson, Mary Henthrone & Barbara Plum

Let’s Clean Up
Tune: The Farmer in the Dell
Let’s clean up today
Let’s clean up today
We’ve had our fun
Our day is done
So, let’s clean up today / Letter Names
Tune: The Farmer in the Dell
Tyler starts with T
Tyler starts with T
2 claps for Tyler
Tyler starts with T
(Change name and letter and # of syllables)
Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hand
Tune: Row, Row, Row your Boat
Clap, clap, clap your hands
Clap them just like me
Touch your finger, touch your toes
Touch them just like me
(Shake your head, stomp your body, wiggle) / If you’re Ready to Line Up
Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you’re ready to line up stomp your feet
If you’re ready to line up stomp your feet
If you’re ready to line up then stomp your feet
If you’re ready to line up stomp your feet
(Wiggle around, tap your head)
Walk, Walk
Tune: Skip to My Lou
Walk, walk, walk with your feet
Walk, walk, walk with your feet
Walk, walk, walk with your feet
Walk right to the door / Put Your Hands in Your Lap
Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It
Put your hands in your lap, in your lap
Put your hands in your lap, in your lap
Put your hands in your lap and give a little clap
Put your hands in your lap, in your lap

Where Oh Where Have My Helpers Gone?
Tune: Where Oh Where Has my Little Dog Gone?
Where oh where have my
little helpers gone
I need some help right away.
I do not want to do this job alone
Oh helpers please come my way /
Quiet Voices
Tune: Frere Jacque
Quiet Voices, Quiet voices
In the room, in the room
Noisy voices outside
Quiet voices inside
In the room, in the room
Child In Our Class
Tune: BINGO
There is a child in our class and ______is his/her name-O!
T-Y-L-E-R (sing 3 times)
And Tyler is his name-O! / It’s Time to Go Outside
Tune: The Farmer in the Dell
It’s time to go outside,
It’s time to go outside,
Let’s walk (fly, skip, etc) to the door
It’s time to go outside