Learn how to navigate family transitions.
Whether your child is transitioning from home to child care, from child care to kindergarten, or from one activity to another, realistic expectations and consistent routines can help them prepare for new scenarios which, in turn, makes navigating these transitions easier for you as well.
To learn strategies for building strong routines, discussing change with young children, navigating family transitions, and more, view the list of resources below.
Children’s Books, TV, and Movies
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- Suggested Children’s Books to Support Transition, Human Development Institute
- 14 books to help ease children through transitions, The Art of Simple
- 45 Books to Get Kids Through Life’s Trickiest Transitions, Real Simple
- 16 Books to Help Kids Get Ready for the New School Year, Read Brightly
- Book Lists That Help Kids Through Transitions, No Time for Flashcards
- Starting School: Books to Help Ease the Transition, Childhood 101
- The Best Children’s Books About Death, Fatherly
- 12 Books to Ease Back-to-School Anxiety for All Ages, Scholastic
- Back-to-School Books, Common Sense Media
- Back-to-School TV, Common Sense Media
- Back-to-School Movies, Common Sense Media
- Kids’ Books About the Immigrant Experience, Common Sense Media
- Movies to Help Kids Deal with Grief, Common Sense Media
- Movies to Help Kids Understand Divorce, Common Sense Media
- Books to Help Kids Deal with Divorce, Common Sense Media
- Books About a New Sibling, Common Sense Media
- 10 Relaxing Books to Help Kids Drift Off to Dreamland, Common Sense Media
- Books About Puberty, Common Sense Media
- Kids & Teens Booklists, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
- Selected Children’s Books About Kindergarten, Head Start
Routines and Rituals
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- Building Structure, CDC
- Answers from Experts, CDC
- Quick Tips, CDC
- Creating Structure and Rules (Videos), CDC
- Family routines: how and why they work, Raising Children Network
- Tackling Transitions with a Toddler, Montessori in Real Life
- How to Get Preschoolers Into a Routine After School, PBS Kids
- Why family routines and rituals are important, Evergreen Psychotherapy Center
- Family rituals: what are they?, Raising Children Network
- Easing a Toddler’s Daily Transitions, Parents
- The Environment: Schedules and Routines, Virtual Lab School
- How to Create a Morning Routine for Your Kids, Develop Good Habits
- Bedtime Routines for Children, Sleep Foundation
- Empowering Our Babies With Rituals, Janet Lansbury
- Essential Elements of a Baby Bedtime Routine, Janet Lansbury
- The Importance of Schedules and Routines, Head Start
- Creating Routines for Love and Learning, Zero to Three
- 10 Reasons A Daily Routine is Important for Your Child (and How to Set One), Petit
- Why Kids Need Routines, Aha! Parenting
- It’s All Routine, Regarding Baby
- Parents’ Guide to Routines for Kids, pathways.org
- Routines, Rituals, Consistency, and Structure for Kids (Video), Julie B
- Routines: The Unexpected Power of Habits, Practices, and Rituals, TEDx Talks
- The Importance of Routines for Kids, Zero to Thrive
- 5 Reasons to Establish a Toddler Routine, Parents
Disrupted Routines
Transitions in Early Learning
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- Moving from an Infant to a Toddler Child Care Classroom: Embracing Change and Respecting Individual Differences, NAEYC
- Transition to Child Care for Children from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds, ResearchGate
- Daily Separations and Reunions, ECLKC
- Helping Children Understand Routines and Classroom Schedules, CSEFEL
- Change Doesn’t Have to Be Hard: Classroom Transitions, Head Start
- Helping Children Make Transitions between Activities, CSEFEL
- Terrific Transitions | Scholastic | Parents, Scholastic
Starting Kindergarten
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- Kindergarten Transition, Trying Together
- Your Child Is Going to Kindergarten: Making the Move Together, Head Start
- Transition to Kindergarten: Resource Guide, Head Start
- Transitions Resources for Families, Head Start
- Transition to Kindergarten: Why It Matters and How to Promote Success, Head Start
- Kindergarten Transition Parent Handbook, AIU 3
- 8 Tips to Prepare for the First Days of School, Scholastic
- Transitioning to Kindergarten, NAEYC
- Transition to Kindergarten, ECLKC
- TRANSITION TO KINDERGARTEN, The PA Key
- Transitioning to Kindergarten: A Toolkit for Early Childhood Educators, AFT
- 9 Ways to Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten, Understood
- Easing First Day Jitters: Strategies for Successful Home-to-School Transitions, NAEYC
- Transitions to Kindergarten, NAEYC
- Helping Kids Transition to Kindergarten, Kaplan
- Top Ten Tips for the Transition to Kindergarten, William James College
- Transition to Kindergarten, Ready Freddy
- 12 ways to help a child make the transition to kindergarten, Harvard Health Publishing
Child Development
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- Supporting Transitions: Using Child Development as a Guide, Head Start
- Infant/Toddler Transitions, Head Start
- Transitions: From the Children’s Perspective, ECLKC
Playful Routines
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- Five Essentials to Meaningful Play, NAEYC
- 10 Playful Solutions For Morning & Evening Routines, Positive Parenting Connection
- 9 Ways to Make Household Chores Fun, Scholastic
- How to make grocery shopping with kids fun, Focus on the Family
- Tips and Tricks to Make Bath Time Fun, Kids Kandoo
- 100 Simple Ideas for Parents to be Playful and Silly with Kids, A Fine Parent
Mindfulness
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- The Power of “Good Morning”, NAEYC
- Mindful Morning Meetings, NAEYC
Adaptations and Targeted Support
Challenging Behaviors
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- Why Does My Kid Struggle with Transitions?, Charlotte Parent
- Planning Transitions to Prevent Challenging Behavior, NAEYC
- Reducing Challenging Behaviors during Transitions: Strategies for Early Childhood Educators to Share with Parents, NAEYC
- Responding to Behavior, CDC
- Answers from Experts, CDC
- Why kids have trouble following a routine or schedule, Understood
- Child won’t follow a routine or schedule? Try these 5 tips, Understood
- 5 morning problems solved, Today’s Parent
- When routines for your kids don’t work, you might be the problem, Being Dads
- 51 Mindfulness Exercises for Kids in the Classroom, Waterford.org
- When a Child Can’t Get Her Act Together in the Morning, Janet Lansbury
Opportunities to Practice
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- Creating Structure & Rules: Can We Make It Simple?, CDC
- Communicating with Your Child: What Would You Say?, CDC
- Giving Directions: What Would You Do?, CDC
- Using Discipline and Consequences: What Would You Do?, CDC
- Getting your children into a routine – DIY Routine Board (Video), And then she said
- Practice Routines: Daniel Tiger Bathtime Helper, PBS Kids
Sample Schedules
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- How to Create a Family Schedule (Spanish), Trying Together
- 5 Realistic Daily Schedules for Kids, From Ages 0 to 11, PureWow
- Daily Schedule for Kids (Printable), Mommyhood101
- How to Build Cooperation, Independence and Listening Using a Printable Schedule for Kids, The Military Wife and Mom
- DAILY SCHEDULE • AGES 5-8, The Children’s Center
- Get Ready for Kindergarten! Activity Calendar for Families, ECLKC
