Why transitioning feels like herding sheep (and what helps)

Have you ever counted how many transitions there are in a day for a kindergartener? I counted nearly two dozen- and that's conservative, excluding all the transitions within the school day. 

Common morning transitions:

• Getting out of bed

• Going to the bathroom

• Getting dressed

• Going to the breakfast table

• Packing backpack

• Getting in the car
  
  

Transition count: 6 

Common afternoon/evening transitions:

• Getting home from school

• Having a snack

• Going to an extracurricular or activity

• Coming home and switching gears

• Cleaning up

• Going to the bathroom

• Having dinner

• Doing an activity after dinner

• Bathroom again for bath

• Getting in bath

• Getting out of bath

• Getting dressed

• Going into the room

• Starting a book

• Putting the book away

• Getting in bed
  
  

Transition count: 16

Add it to the 6 from the morning = 22 total transitions in one day. 🫠

Now, if you have a child who becomes distracted, avoids, or melts down during transitions… that’s over 20 moments of stressful behavior to navigate in a single day — not even counting the hard stuff during the activities themselves.

No wonder Henry’s mom was needing help.
(Catch up on Henry’s story with Part 1 or Part 2.)

“Any activity that requires moving through different areas or transitions feels like I’m herding sheep, and it often infuses him with wild energy and distraction.”

Try this: