Young Children - May 2008 - (Page 18) Moving Right Along . . . Planning Transitions to Prevent Challenging Behavior Mary Louise Hemmeter, Michaelene M. Ostrosky, Kathleen M. Artman, and Kiersten A. Kinder there has been a significant rise in the number of children in group care settings, including child care, Head Start, and public and private preschool (U.S. Department of Education 2007). Along with this trend, programs face increased pressure to document children’s academic and social outcomes (Shonkoff & Phillips 2000). As teachers work toward these outcomes, they have become more concerned about children with challenging behaviors and the effects of those behaviors on others in the classroom. Within most preschool settings, there are likely to be only a few children with persistent challenging behavior. On any given day, however, there may be a number of children who engage in some form of challenging behavior. These behaviors are often related to issues such as being in a group care setting for the first time, not knowing the expectations for a setting, not having the social skills to engage in more appropriate behaviors, being bored, and not knowing how to communicate emotions in appropriate ways. Transitions from one activity to another are times when children are more likely to engage in challenging behavior. There is guidance in the field for teachers about planning and implementing transitions. NAEYC emphasizes the importance of predictable, structured daily routines in which children feel secure and teachers seek opportunities to expand on children’s ideas and interests (Bredekamp & Copple 1997). The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children emphasizes that transitions should be structured to promote interaction, communication, and learning (Sandall et al. 2005). Here we offer a discussion of why challenging behavior occurs during transitions, strategies for planning and implementing more effective transitions, ideas for using transitions to teach social skills and emotional competencies, and a planning process for working with children who continue to have difficulty during transitions. Over the past decade, © Diane Greenseid Transitions: What are they and why does challenging behavior occur? Within early childhood contexts, transitions are the times in the day when children move or change from one activity to another. Typically, these include arriving in the classroom, moving from morning meeting to centers, cleaning up after center time to get ready for outdoor play, snack or nap times, and preparing to go home. Children’s challenging behavior during transitions may be related to how program staff structure, schedule, and implement transitions. Challenging behavior is more likely to occur when there are too many transitions, when all the children transition at the same time in the same way, when transitions are too long and children spend too much time waiting with nothing to do, and when there are not clear instructions. Children may engage in challenging behavior when they do not understand the expectations for the transition. Perhaps it is a child’s first experience in a group setting ® 1, 3, 4 Young Children • May 2008 18 Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Young Children - May 2008 Young Children - May 2008 Contents From Our President Readers Write Introduction Calendar Time for Young Children: Good Intentions Gone Awry Moving Right Along . . . Planning Transitions to Prevent Challenging Behavior Transformers: Movement Experiences for Early Childhood Classrooms 2, 4, or 6? Grouping Children to Promote Social and Emotional Development Relationship-Based Infant Care: Responsive, On Demand, and Predictable When Will I Be Special? Rethinking Developmentally Appropriate Practice in a Classroom Routine Resources for Teaching and Learning through Routines and Transitions Guidance Matters The Reading Chair Rocking & Rolling: Supporting Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families NAEYC's 17th National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development NAEYC Business Observations and Reflections NAEYC Annual Conference and Expo Rich Environments for Adult Learners Index of Advertisers Sunao (Cooperative) Children: How Japanese Teachers Nurture Autonomy “What Should I Draw? I’ll Draw You!” Facilitating Interaction and Learning Opportunities in Intergenerational Programs Navigating the Road for Aspiring Early Childhood Leaders: Missouri’s Response From Juegos to Perros: Children’s Books in Spanish New Books Young Children - May 2008 http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com
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