Transition Tuesday

Clean-Up Inspector

When children are just about finished cleaning up centers, put the "inspector binoculars" around your neck and carry the clean up basket with you. Walk around the room and inspect the different centers. Along the way place small items that did not get put away in your clean up basket. Bring your basket to group meeting and see if anyone wants to help the "inspector" find the proper home for the items in the basket. Make sure you give positive feedback about what you see as you walk around "inspecting".

Photo taken from Learning & Teaching with Preschoolers

Transition Tuesday

Do you ever get tired of singing the same "clean up" song. Well try this simple song for the new year.

Twinkle Twinkle Clean Up Time

(Tune: Twinkle Little Star)

Time to put the toys away

We'll bring them out another day.

Twinkle, twinkle little star

Stop and clean up where you are.

Twinkle, twinkle little star

Stop and clean up where you are.

Use a star wand and sing the song. Move around the classroom waving the wand.

Photo taken from Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers

Transition Tuesday

Clapping FUN

One classroom management tool effective for gaining attention used for many years in school settings is to clap a short rhythm sequence and have the children clap the pattern back to you. The children have to be listening and paying attention in order to succeed in clapping back the same sequence. To make it easier for young children, try accompanying the clapping sequence with a few words or simple sentence, like clapping and saying the syllables in the child’s name. It really is a good way to switch on listening ears!

Another fun clapping (and listening) game for preschoolers is Hot/Cold. To play, hide an object in the room and as the chosen child tries to find it, you (and any other children playing) clap faster as they get closer to the hiding spot (hotter) and slower as they move away from it (colder), until the treasure is uncovered.

Transition Tuesday

Climb Aboard The Spaceship

 Tune: Itsy Bitsy Spider

Climb aboard the spaceship, We're going to the moon.
Hurry and get ready, We're going to blast off soon.
Put on your helmets And buckle up real tight.
Here comes the countdown, Let's count with all our might.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1---BLAST OFF!!

Taken from Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers

Transition Tuesday

JUKE BOX

Glue copies of rhymes, songs, or finger plays to old CDs or 4 ½” circles.  Place in a gift bag or box and write “Juke Box” on the front.  When you’ve got a few extra minutes pull out the “Juke Box.”  Give a child a pretend quarter to put in the “Juke Box” and choose a song or rhyme.  According to research, most classrooms waste 20% of the day having children wait, line up, wash their hands, clean up, etc.  What a super simple way to take advantage of those teachable moments!

Taken from Dr. Jean

Transition Tuesday

It's the beginning of the year and you are probably spending every minute of every day teaching routines and procedures. One routine is that of transitions. Transitioning from one activity to another is very difficult for young children. They need help making transitions. You can teach simple signals, songs, games, etc. to help the transition process. Below is a song to teach children when you want them to sit on the carpet or rug for group time.

 

Have a Seat 

(tune of “Shortnin’ Bread”)

Everybody have a seat, have a seat, have a seat.

Everybody have a seat on the floor.

Not on the ceiling, not on the door.

Everybody have a seat on the floor!

 

Taken form Dr. Jean

Transition Tuesday

Movement Tip

Got the jitterbugs? You know, they’re those invisible organisms that sometimes cover youngsters and provide lots of wiggly energy! Expel these pesky creatures from your classroom with this dramatic performance. Ask your little ones to stand up and shake those jitterbugs off. While the children are shaking (and giggling), open up a trash bag and weave amongst them as you pretend to collect the bugs. Trap air inside the bag and knot it closed. Shake the bag as you carry those wiggly jitterbugs out of the room.

Taken from Mailbox Magazine

Transition Tuesday

Try this color activity for transition time.

These big blooms keep little ones buzzing with activity! In your meeting area, adhere green masking tape stems to the floor. Cut the flower blossoms, centers, and flowerpot from construction paper and use clear Con-Tact covering to adhere the cutouts to the floor. Set a container of five beanbags near the flowerpot. If desired, attach a colorful bee cutout to each beanbag with clear Con-Tact covering. A child stands behind the flowerpot, names a color, and attempts to toss the beanbag onto the matching flower center. In a similar manner, a child can stand on the flowerpot and hop from flower to flower, naming the colors along way.

Taken from Mailbox Magazine

Transition Tuesday

Try this quick poem to get your children's attention.

1, 2 You Know What To Do

1,2 You know what to do.
3,4 Sit on the floor.
5,6 Your feet you fix.
7,8 Sit up straight.
9,10 Let's listen again.

Transition Tuesday

Caterpillar Transition Game

When it is time to transition children away from group time to a different activity it is always good to have a transition game. This allows the children to move more slowly to the next activity with less confusion.

Make a large caterpillar with different color circles and black legs. Place the caterpillar on the whiteboard, flannelboard, or on the floor. On the back of each caterpillar body part (circle) is a different action movement for the children to do.

As the children are called to play the game they come up and roll a large cardboard box dice (the dice are made from a 6 x 6 mailing box) with color dots to match all of the colors on the caterpillar. Each child comes up, rolls the dice, identifies the color, and then finds that color on the caterpillar. Once the child finds the color, the teacher reads the movement that child needs to do before moving on to the next activity.

To make things run smoothly you could have 2 - 3 dice going at the same time. One adult runs the game and the other adult makes sure that the children are following the plan.

Taken from Teaching & Learning with Preschoolers

Transition Tuesday

In the Garden
(Tune: Up on the Housetop)

Look in the garden,
There I see
Ten little carrots growing merrily
Rabbit came and ate one
Oops, Oh No!
Now there's only nine carrots in the row.

Last line:
Now there's NO carrots in the row!

Transition Tuesday

The Bug Dance(Echo Poem)
Bugs, bugs everywhere!
Bugs, bugs everywhere!
On my shoulders, in my hair!
On my shoulders, in my hair!

Fat and lean ones, in-between ones
Fat and lean ones, in-between ones
Orange ones, red ones, pink and green ones!
Orange ones, red ones, pink and green ones!

Crickets, beetles, ladybugs too—
Crickets, beetles, ladybugs too—
One just landed on my shoe!
One just landed on my shoe!

Caterpillars, grasshoppers, spiders, ants
Caterpillars, grasshoppers, spiders, ants
One is crawling up my pants!
One is crawling up my pants!

I like bugs both big and small.
I like bugs both big and small.
I like them marching up the wall.
I like them marching up the wall.

I like them on flowers and in trees,
I like them on flowers and in trees,
But please, oh please, get them off of me!
But please, oh please, get them off of me!
Taken from Dr. Jean at www.drjean.org

Transition Tuesday

This fingerplay is not only a great transition activity but it is also good for fine motor development. Separating and moving the fingers will help children see they have 10 fingers, not 2 paws. Children will need to be able to separate their fingers in order to properly grasp a pencil and other tools. Fingerplays are fun ways to build and strengthen the muscles in the fingers.

Matching

Match the fingers on your hands

One to one as up they stand.

Match your two thumbs small and fat.

Match two pointers just like that.

Match two middle fingers tall.

Match two ring ones. That’s not all

Match two fingers very small.

Match two feet with socks and shoes.

Match everything that goes by two’s.



Transition Tuesday

Stand Up

Stand up
Turn around
Clap to four
Don't sit down.

Clap once more
Take a bow
Stamp your foot
Stop right now.

Wave your hand
Bend two knees
Sit back down
And look at me!

Transition Tuesday

Use the bee and song to transition children from clean up time, to lining up to going outside.

Buzz, Buzz Bumblebees 

Taken from Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers

Buzz, buzz bumblebees,
Flying all around.
Stop stand still, do not move around.
Shh, don’t make a sound.

Buzz, buzz bumblebees

Hurry up, in the jar
Before they sting your hand.

Buzz, buzz bumblebees
Hold your jar real tight.
We will carry them outside
Then let them all take flight

Bee Finger Puppet
Create a bee puppet using a yellow dish glove, white lace, wiggle eyes and black rick rack.

Transition Tuesday

Use this finger play while waiting in line.

Matching

Match the fingers on your hands

One to one as up they stand.

Match your two thumbs small and fat.

Match two pointers just like that.

Match two middle fingers tall.

Match two ring ones. That’s not all

Match two fingers very small.

Match two feet with socks and shoes.

Match everything that goes by two’s.

This transition activity also helps children move thier fingers separately - a skill needed for writing readiness.

Transition Tuesday

Use a Clapping Pattern

Clap or tap in a pattern, for example, clap slowly twice and then clap fast three times. The students are to stop what they are doing and repeat the pattern. If necessary, do it again until all children have responded and are quiet. You can combine many adiitonal ideas with this.