Helping Children to Transition Between Activities

I'm the author of the book LOVE, LIMITS & LESSONS: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO RAISING COOPERATIVE KIDS and I've been working with parents and teachers for a long time. How would you like to have some easy-to-implement tools in your parenting or teacher toolbox to help you gain your child's cooperation when you're in a rush or need to suddenly change gears? That's what you're about to learn in this episode of the COOPERATIVE KIDS PODCAST.

As a parent educator and behavior specialist, I spent over 25 years talking to parents about the things that frustrated them most about their kids. And it was easy for me to agree with them, having 3 children of my own who drove me absolutely crazy. The fact is that children don't naturally transition well, and parents need some strategies for helping them to do this. In this episode of the podcast, I'm speaking to a group of parents and teachers who invited me to offer advice on creating cooperative kids. Here are some solutions to helping children and teens to transition easier.

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To summarize quickly, 3 techniques for helping children to transition between activities is to
provide as much advance notice as you can, have them help you set up rules before a segment begins, and use visual timers to help them see the passing of time. My favorite device can be found at www.timetimer.com. One last bonus tip is to create some motivation for a child to stop an activity and to want to follow your lead to the next. One day I couldn't get my son to stop an activity in the playroom and to put his shoes and get in the car. I suddenly had somewhere I had to go and I needed his full cooperation. I could have pulled the toy out of his hands and picked him up kicking and screaming and put him in the car, but no effective parent ever wants to do that. So in that moment, we needed to drive to a relatives home. I thought to myself, "what does my son really like about going to that home," and I remembered that he loves playing with his cousin. So getting to my son's eye level, I said in a very excited voice, "Hey buddy, we're going to your uncle's house and I bet Timmy is waiting right at the door for you to show up and play with him!" Instantly, he dropped the toy he was playing with, ran to get his shoes and coat on and off he ran to get into the car. What motivating factor can you come up with the next time you need your child to transition suddenly.

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