Nifty 9 Managing Transitions—A Public Face

Have you ever witnessed a child throwing a temper tantrum because he/she isn’t ready to stop what he/she is doing and move on to the next activity or location?  Or have you witnessed an older youth become sullen and uncooperative because he/she has been told it’s time to stop?  Have you ever wondered what you would do if you were faced with the same situation?  In afterschool these transitions from one activity to another or one location to another happen often.  And to compound the challenge it is seldom just one youth that we are trying to transition—it is an entire group of them, often times about 20 of them.  Orchestrating an effective transition is not easy—and yet it is one of the most public faces we have in afterschool.  Generally we are outside when we transition, or in a public space like a cafeteria, multi-purpose room or gymnasium, or in a classroom or library where our ability to manage this transition is witnessed by school day staff, other students, and parents. 

Consult 4 Kids has a number of instructional videos on how to make transitions more effective and has even published an e-Book singly focused on transitions.  We provide tips on how to work with the slow adapters and the kids who just don’t like to get started and once started are not interested in stopping.  We share strategies for developing a sense of ownership around effective transitions.  We have just what you need to help staff be more effective in this area.  Communicate with us at support@consultfourkids.org or by calling us a (661) 322-4347.