This is the third blog of a five part series that provides you with tips that I have learned about teaching kindergarten. These tips have helped me as I prepare for student teaching this January in yes…Kindergarten! If you work with kinders or are interested in learning about supporting the needs of the whole child in an early learning setting, I hope this blog series helps you too!
Tip #3: Smooth Transitions in Kindergarten are Important for Learning and Development
In Kindergarten, transitions can increase engagement and help students maintain focus during each learning experience. In order to keep the students’ attention and engagement with each task, time for transitions assist us in moving between activities smoothly. A growing amount of research highlights the significance of developing transitional behaviors and strategies in order to maintain and advance children’s social, emotional, and intellectual competencies. Smooth transitions and appropriate learning spaces for each lesson activity guarantees ongoing academic performance (Ramey & Ramey, 1999). Kindergarteners need movement during lessons in order to keep them engaged. They also need explicit modeling and support for academic growth. These two elements of effective instruction for young children can oftentimes be difficult when planning lessons. The National Association for Education of Young Children provides guidance on what a high-quality kindergarten classroom looks like. NAEYC publications highly suggest that teachers should support children’s learning and development in the following ways:
a) Arrange the room for different types of learning: space for class meetings, tables where children work together in groups, and quiet spots for independent work
b) Provide activities that interest children, challenge their skills, and help them love learning (NAEYC, 2022)
c) Encourage children’s deep thinking (NAEYC, 2022)
Did you know that If you have seamless transition strategies in place, you can better manage the learning experiences in your kindergarten classroom? The key is having a strategy and being ready!
While transitions can be difficult, there are a lot of things you can do to avoid interruptions and outbursts and make the shift from one activity to another go more smoothly. Check out Ten Tips to Smooth Transitions by author Lao Tzu Lee-Ann Meredith is a second grade teacher, Department Chairperson and education advocate who has spent the duration of her time in public education at John B. Murphy Elementary School in inner city Chicago.
Happy Teaching!