Top Ten Transition Tips - part II

Here is part II in the transition series where I will be giving you some ideas and tips for September and welcoming your new class.

1. All About Me

Think creatively about how to display the children’s ‘All About Me’ information. Think about a display where every child has their own space where they can display a mixture of items. It could be a photograph of them with their family or people important to them, a favourite toy, a picture they have drawn, or a Lego model they made on their first day. The idea is that the children have complete ownership over what they share; remember the unique child!

One way to give the children this type of space is by using the lids from photocopy paper boxes. Stapled to a display board this gives each child a space, and a little ‘shelf’ to place objects onto. Last year I used them as a phonics display (see photo) in a similar way, adding objects and photos of things beginning with the sound.

2. Welcome Gift Bags

Welcome gift bags are a lovely thing to give out during your Home Visits or 1:1 Transition Meetings. You can fill them with resources you think would be useful for the children to have at home. Examples include; fine motor tweezers, playdough, a die, name card, nursery rhymes, or a number line. The Home Visit is the perfect time to give them to the child as you can also explain to their grownup how to use the resources to support their child’s learning and development.

3. Barriers to Settling in

Think about ways you can make transition as seamless and supportive as possible. Having a photograph and the child’s name on their peg or box gives the child a sense of familiarity; knowing where to put their belongings, their own space. By only displaying their name adds a barrier for those who may not recognise their name yet. Displaying both also supports children with SEND - inclusion is key! Use this method to be clear about where to put other items such as their water bottle or snack bag; you want to enable the children to be as independent as possible.

4. Photos in the Home Corner

During Home Visits, ensure you take a photo of the children with their families. Alternatively, the family may want to email the photo to you if not everyone is present at the time of the visit. Once you have them, where better to display them but the Home Corner? I keep them up all year round - they mean a lot to the children and I have seen children engaging with them all the way up to the end of the year. It supports the children to communicate about their home life and who lives with them, but also is a place for them to go if they are finding transition difficult and need some comfort.

5. Familiar Stories and Nursery Rhymes

Link with the pre-schools or Nurseries your children are coming from and ask them which stories and nursery rhymes the children are familiar with. Reading and singing these during the first couple of weeks will help the children to feel settled as they are something familiar to them. Also, them knowing you have been in contact with their previous key-worker is a big deal to them!

6. Activities based on their interests

This is a quick win! During home visits or conversations with previous settings, ask what their current interests are, which activity or area of learning they particularly enjoy. Setting these up during the first few weeks will instantly make the children feel safe and secure - they are things they know and love. Also tell them ‘I spoke to xxx and they told me you liked xxx so I set it up/ put it out for you’. They will instantly feel special, helping you to build relationships with them.

7. Visual Timetable

Ensure you have a whole-class visual timetable in your classroom. It is a helpful way for the children to feel calm, knowing what is coming next, but also knowing how near to home time it is. If a child has used an individual visual timetable in their previous setting, or a now and next board, ask the previous teacher for those resources - passing them on is part of a good transition. Again, these will be familiar resources to the child, they will know how to use them and it will support their communication with you. Yes, a new now and next board can be made, but their own now and next board is exactly that, theirs.

8. Transition Photos

Collate the photos you took of the children during transition. This could be times they have visited for stay and plays before the Summer holidays or any visits early on in the term. At first, it is nice to have them displayed - you do not want completely bare walls. Once the children start producing items for display, these photos can be taken down, stuck into a scrap book/ floor book, and placed in the reading area for the children to access independently. This was a much loved resource in my class this year, and was repaired many times! When it finally fell apart to the point of no return, I gave the photos out to the children to take home.

9, Birthday Display

Think about how you can make your birthday display accessible to the children. I have seen some lovely looking displays in the past but often wonder if the children can access the information independently. Think about using photos of the children and numbers so the children can clearly see whose birthday is on which date. Steer clear of names written on month balloons for example - it is unlikely the children will be able to read these.

10. Smile, relax and have fun!

I have saved the most important one to the end. Smile, relax and have fun! It is so important when building relationships that you are smiley, positive, and welcoming (even if underneath that smile you are feeling a bit nervous). Children pick up on how we are feeling and behaving, and it is important they see a smiley face waiting for them at the door in the morning.

I hope these tips help with the new term - let me know if you use any of the ideas! If you have any top tips you would like to add, post them in the comment box below!

*I use the term ‘parents’ and ‘family’ to include all caregivers and all types of families