Making Transitions to and from Child Care Less Stressful
Amy Brandon
Child Care Program
Ever wish the morning transition from house to child care, school, and work could go more smoothly? Picture yourself enjoying breakfast with your family before heading calmly out the door, instead of running late (again) as your child refuses to put on his/her coat and you frantically search for backpacks and car keys. Parent Central, a program of the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, can help.
It provides families with current information and resources on parenting, such as these strategies to make the morning transition easier. Start by taking a couple of days to observe how the morning flows.
Look at the events that happen, the environment, your behavior, and lastly, your child’s behavior. Are there particular times or tasks that present more of a challenge than others? What changes can you make to help the morning transition run more smoothly? Once you’ve diagnosed the problem, try some of these suggestions:
- Give yourself a few minutes of quiet time before you wake up your child or start your day.
- Turn the light on in the room five minutes before waking your child.
- Play calming music.
- Create clear and consistent morning routines.
- Get things ready the night before:
- Put out clothes, shoes, coats, and gloves for you and your child.
- Set up breakfast.
- Pack backpacks.
- Find your keys.
- If your child dresses him or herself in the morning, keep it simple. Use shoes without laces and pants without belts until your child is proficient with these.
- Children don’t have the same sense of time as adults. Give your child something concrete to measure the time before the next activity. For example:
- “After this song is over, it will be time for you to brush your teeth.”
- “When the timer goes off, we need to put our coats on to leave.”
- If your child is having a particularly hard time leaving an activity, make a plan to resume play when you return home in the evening.
Not every morning will be a flawless start to a new day. But with a little thought and planning, the smooth transitions will far outweigh the rough ones.
Visit Parent Central to read more about this and other children’s issues.
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