1. Transitions for Children
Session 6
Transitions for Children
Teacher’s Notes.
The learning outcomes for these slides are as follows.
Students should be able to:
Describe minor and major transitions in terms of assisting children to adjust to their new ECE environment
Describe how the environment may possibly cause children to be unsettled
These relate to the following outcomes and evidence requirements:
10023 Outcome 1
 Describe transition situations where children require settling in ECE services.
 Range: evidence of two minor and two major transition situations is required.
 Evidence requirements
1.1 Minor and major transition situations where children require settling are described in terms of assisting children to adjust to their new ECE environment.
1.2 Possible causes for children's unsettled behaviour in the transition situations are described in terms of environment.
 Range: environment may include but is not limited to – time, support and encouragement, cultural influences, physical environment, social interaction.
Unit Standards & 10023
All photographs in this PowerPoint © MIT or Microsoft Office Collection
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023

2. How did you feel? How did you react?
Session 6
Think of a time…
when you were very young and you were left in the care of someone that you didn’t really know.
How did you feel? How did you react?
Teacher’s Notes;
Options;
Discuss these questions as a whole group or encourage students to discuss these questions in pairs
If students talk in pairs, develop an agreed set of questions that each pair will ask each other about their experiences before beginning discussions
Encourage students to identify their feelings in this situation
Invite students to share their experiences with the whole group
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023

3. List some situations in which young children could require settling.
Session 6
List some situations in which young children could require settling.
Teacher’s Notes;
Brainstorm as a group.
Situations in which young children could require settling include;
Starting childcare or kindergarten
Being left with a babysitter or caregiver
Starting school
Starting in a new group e.g. play group, dance class, sports team
Going to bed
When the child is injured
When visitors (familiar or unfamiliar) come to the home
When the child is unwell
When the child is excited (e.g. before celebrations)
When the child is frightened
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023

4. Session 6
Why do children sometimes require settling in these situations? What might they be feeling? What might their parents or usual caregiver be feeling?
Teacher’s Notes;
In any new situation where there may be changes to a child’s usual routine or caregiver, a child may become unsettled.
If a child is unwell or injured, they may require more care than usual.
This may be because they are feeling;
anxious
excited
frightened
uncertain
in pain
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023

5. MIT Early Childhood Education
Minor transition
is defined as a situation where a smaller or less important change occurs from one position or condition to another. For example , a small change or move in your life.
Think of a minor transition in your life
What were some of the things which helped you with this?
Teachers notes:
eg transitions or short-term separation; sleep time; travelling in a vehicle; when child is unwell; hurt; distressed; angry; aggressive; moving one area to another within the service.
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023

6. MIT Early Childhood Education
Major transition
is defined as a situation where a greater or more important change occurs from one position or condition to another. For example, a major move or change in your life.
Think of a major transition in your life
What were some of the things which helped you with this?
Teacher notes
eg beginning in an early childhood service; moving from an early childhood service to school; the death of a family member; moving house.
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023

7. MIT Early Childhood Education
When children are undergoing a major or minor transition they may be unsettled because of the environment.
Teacher’s Notes:
In terms of the environment these causes may be
Time:
Children may be unsettled if adequate time is not allocated to ensure minor transitions within an ECE service are positive experiences (Courtney & Kowalski, 1995).
Children need time to make transitions. Pressures from parent’s work and other social influences can have a negative impact on how child copes with a transition. Time for visits before the transition occurs help to make the experience positive. (Foote & Hurst, The First Years: The New Zealand Journal of Infant and Toddler Education, Vol 2, Issue Two)
Children need to get used to new routines at an ECE service which may be different to the ones they have experienced previously. (Foote & Hurst, The First Years: The New Zealand Journal of Infant and Toddler Education, Vol 2, Issue Two)
A whole day at school can be very long for children when they first start. The routines and the times for different activities may be unfamiliar and cause anxiety. They may be unfamiliar with some of the activities that happen at school eg fitness or playtime (Beaver, Brewster, Green, Neaum, Sheppard, Tallack, Walker, 2008)
Support and encouragement
Parents need to be encouraged to share information about their child which will help with the transition process eg the time an infant sleeps at home, whether or not they are used to being bottlefed
Children need emotional support to make transitions. Children who have secure attachments with whānau/family will explore a new environment and then come back for emotional support (Berk, 2001)
Children can be supported before a transition occurs by having adults talk to them about the transition and explaining honestly about what is going to happen (Beaver, Brewster, Green, Neaum, Sheppard, Tallack, Walker, 2008)
To help children start school parents can support children by having a positive attitude towards school and having realistic expectations about the transition to school (Beaver, Brewster, Green, Neaum, Sheppard, Tallack, Walker, 2008)
Children can be encouraged to participate in imaginary and expressive play which may help them to express their feelings about the transition (Beaver, Brewster, Green, Neaum, Sheppard, Tallack, Walker, 2008)
Cultural influences
At a early childhood centre or a school children may be unfamiliar with the culture or language. Teachers should be aware of cultural differences and language to assist children in making transitions (Beaver, Brewster, Green, Neaum, Sheppard, Tallack, Walker, 2008)
Different cultures have different beliefs and practices when raising children – Discuss with the students differing cultural beliefs about raising children
Physical environment
When children participate in minor transitions during the day at an ECE service they may be unsettled if the situations are noisy and crowded or if the transitions occur abruptly. Sufficient staff are required to help all children with the transition and the transitions need to be flexible and predictable (Courtney & Kowalski, 1995)
The environment will be different to the home environment and this may cause children to be unsettled. An example is at home a child may sit in a highchair but at the ECE service they are expected to sit in a chair and eat at a table (Foote & Hurst, The First Years: The New Zealand Journal of Infant and Toddler Education, Vol 2, Issue Two)
Children need to be provided with activities and resources that are suitable for their age (Beaver, Brewster, Green, Neaum, Sheppard, Tallack, Walker, 2008)
When children transition to school the size of the school may be frightening for a child and they may worry where the toilets are (Beaver, Brewster, Green, Neaum, Sheppard, Tallack, Walker, 2008)
Social interaction
When children make transitions they have to learn how to interact in the new environment and to learn the new rules and expectations eg moving from the under 2’s to the over 2’s room. In the under 2’s a child may have been the oldest child and then when they move they become the youngest child and this can create challenges (Merry, 2004).
When children start at an ECE service they may be overwhelmed by the number of other children around them. (Foote & Hurst, The First Years: The New Zealand Journal of Infant and Toddler Education, Vol 2, Issue Two)
When children transition to school they may be unsettled because they will be among a large group of unfamiliar children who may have already made friends (Beaver, Brewster, Green, Neaum, Sheppard, Tallack, Walker, 2008)
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023

8. Using the scenarios provided…
Session 6
Using the scenarios provided…
Explore how the child and the adult could be feeling in this situation and why.
What attachment and separation behaviours could you expect from both the child and the adult in this situation?
Teacher’s Notes;
Options;
Scenarios for these discussions are provided on the MIT CDROM. Print a copy of one scenario per group. (6. Scenarios Adult & Child Separation)
Students could work in pairs or small groups for discussions
Encourage students to record their own notes during discussion
Invite each group to share their scenario and responses with the whole group at the end
At the end of discussions, challenge the students to identify the most common feelings and behaviours from all of the scenarios.
A worksheet is provided for this session if required also.
6. Worksheet – Adult & Child Separation
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023

9. Session 6
DISCUSS
What were the common feelings and behaviours between all of the scenarios?
Teacher’s Notes;
Common feelings when adults and children are separated include;
Child;
Fear
Anxiety
Sadness
Uncertainty
Anger
Adult;
Concern that the child’s needs will be met
Remember; Young children’s secure attachment behaviours can include;
They will play and explore happily with their caregiver nearby
They will demonstrate affection for this person
They will seek this person out for comfort when they are hurt or upset
They may become upset or unsettled if this person leaves them
Infants smile and babble when interacting with their attachment figure
Infants and toddlers will approach, follow and climb on their attachment figure in preference to others
So during short term separation, these behaviours may temporarily stop.
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023

10. MIT Early Childhood Education
Helping Children transition into an ECE service
Questions
What strategies were suggested on the clip to assist the child to adjust to their new ECE environment?
Why is this a minor or major transition for the child?
What communication strategies were suggested to assist the parent through the transition?
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023

11. MIT Early Childhood Education
Strategies to help children with transitions
Points for Discussion
What strategies are discussed to assist the child to assist them through the transition?
How can the educators assist the family through the transition situation?
Why is this a minor or major transition for the child?
Identify some factors in the environment that may unsettle the child – eg a new environment, unfamiliar children and adults
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023

12. MIT Early Childhood Education
Transitions
ce/Transitions/TransitionsInEarlyChildhood/ListeningTo DifferentPerspectives.aspx
Teacher Notes
This link has information about transitions. It includes video clips of different perspectives of the experiences during transitions.
Points for discussion through the clips:
Describe the feelings and responses of the child/whānau/family and the caregivers during the transitions
Describe the major and minor transitions and how children were assisted to adjust to their new environment
Identify some possible causes the environment for children’s unsettled behaviour
Describe some communication strategies that were used to assist whānau/families through transition situations
Attachment & Settling in Early Childhood - Incorporating Units & 10023