by Rachel Wells

Classroom transitions are the process of moving students from one lesson, space, or activity to another during the school day. Transitions can be a challenge because students often see them as a time to talk, get silly, or forget basic classroom rules. Smooth transitions are a key part to classroom management – but if you struggle with them you aren’t alone!

Fortunately, we have some tips to manage transition smoothly in your classroom. Remember any type of transition you choose to implement needs to be taught exclusively – and be sure to take time to practice it with your students.

Use key symbols

Visuals are always a good choice in a classroom. If you’re inside you can turn off the lights and have students freeze to listen to instructions. If you’re outside you can blow a whistle and show your students 10 fingers (meaning they have 10 minutes left) then blow the whistle again after the 10 minutes are up and show one hand meaning its time to line up.

Use music

Choose a “clean up” song for your classroom, and let students know that when they hear the song, they need to start cleaning up their activity and getting ready for the next. Everyone needs to be cleaned up and ready for the next activity before the song ends!

Set a countdown timer

Use a visual timer to show how much time students have to clean up and transition to the next activity. Inevitably students will see if they can beat their previous transition times.

Move your body

Walking is boring, so when transitioning students in the classroom give them a fun way to move their body while they clean up! Try cleaning up like a robot or cleaning up like a superhero. When heading from the classroom to an outside activity play a game of follow the leader by doing fun arm movements as you walk that students need to copy.