Transition Techniques in the Classroom

Times of transition are some of the most difficult in the school day. Whether it is lining up for lunch, coming in from recess, or leaving center time for whole group instruction, you need a plan to manage the times when your students are "in between" activities and on the move. These transition activities will help to keep your students engaged and learning even when they are out of their seats.

Sing a Song

Songs can cue students to move from one activity to the next. Try singing a song for cleanup time, washing hands, or lining up for lunch. For older students, put on a song related to a specific content area. You might have your students sing a song designed to help them memorize their multiplication tables or U.S. states. Singing will help your students learn during transitions because they will be more likely to remember important concepts that are set to catchy music.

Set a Timer

Challenge students to line up, clean up or wash up within a certain span of time. Set a stopwatch or count down, and see if everyone can be ready to go before the timer goes off. The challenge of having a limited amount of time will prod students to work more quickly to meet the goal and be ready to go. You can even keep track of the "record" time for completing a transition and challenge your students to try to beat the record.

Lining Up

The next time your students have to line up to go somewhere, make it more fun than usual. Have them line up according to a specific characteristic, such as shoe size or height. Encouraging your students to do this without talking with you will help them learn to work as a team. After they return from lunch or recess, take a few minutes to talk about what went well and what could be done differently to help them be more successful.

Categories Game

This game can be played many different ways, but the simplest way during transition times is to name a category, such as animals. Each student then names an animal and gets in line. Students cannot repeat an answer that has already been given. You can do this with any current area of study: state capitals, plants, even movies. For an added challenge, work through the letters of the alphabet so that the first student must name an animal starting with the letter A, the second must name one starting with B, and so on.