This month we are giving away the complete set of books in the Toddler Tools® series, including our new title, Messy Time. The Toddler Tools books help ease the many transitions that are part of every toddler’s day.
One lucky reader will win:
- Messy Time
- Try-Again Time
- Naptime
- Manners Time
- On-the-Go Time
- Mealtime
- Listening Time
- Bedtime
- Calm-Down Time
- Sharing Time
- Bye-Bye Time
- Clean-Up Time
To Enter: Leave a comment below sharing how you encourage little learners through transitions and routines.
For additional entries, leave a separate comment below for each of the following tasks you complete:
Each comment counts as a separate entry. Entries must be received by midnight, March 18, 2022.
The winner will be contacted via email on or around March 21, 2022, and will need to respond within 72 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Winner must be US resident, 18 years of age or older.
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© 2022 by Free Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved. The view expressed in this post represent the opinion of the author and not necessarily Free Spirit Publishing.
We use a lot of songs and consistent cues and routines to support the little ones during transitions!
Offering reminders and encouraging peer support is also a great strategy to incorporate
I encourage little learners through transitions and routines with visuals and empathy
Lots of modeling expected behavior!!
I encourage little learners through transitions and routines by singing songs during transitions and by letting little learnings know what’s coming next. I try to stick to the routine so littles ones can know what to expect and feel comfortable and safe in their environment.
I use a visual schedule to show the rhythm of the day and what is coming next.
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Practice what you teach
I like this series of books, simple to understand. The children love to sit and look and turn the pages. They laugh and giggle to each other.
I start by letting the children know that the transition is coming (5 minute warning) and what the expectation is (when the bell rings it will be time to clean up so we can go outside). I make sure to provide individual reminders to children who need extra help. I make sure to acknowledge how children are cleaning up (“You put the books back on the shelf so carefully!”, “Zach, you found the picture on the shelf and put the cars back in their spot.”, “Jason and Luke are working together to pick up the blocks.”)
Visuals! We have a daily schedule posted for the whole group, and we also have visuals for specific transitions throughout the day. We use first/then boards as well.
I support student using a variety of strategies and tools, from social stories to visual cues to 1 minute transition prompts. These books would be a great help for my students and my social skills library.
I love to sing through a transition. Sometimes puppets or friends may appear to assist the children in the process. Stories and books that reinforce what a transition is and looks like also are engaging moments in the classroom.
Storytime is a great way to get child in one place and a way to introduce the next activity. I use books and songs as transitions to help the children in the class know that something is about to happen. This reduces the stress that comes with a transition.
I’ve found that giving timed warnings help with transitions. 5 more minutes until… 3 more minutes until… 1 more minute until…
Hi, transitions and routines are so important for young children to understand what is happening next and why! I try to have our schedule predictable, posted, verbal warnings/reminders, giving visual reminders to those that need it, and having my children that struggle the most being part of giving the transition directions. I have found having my little ones who struggle the most activity involved has reduced worry, stress, and unpredictable responses!
i post the daily routine for transitions
Transitions and routines begin with teaching and consistency!
We have some great transition steps that involve all senses. I teach in a Preschool sheltered classrooms and these books would be great tools for helping support difficult transitions at home and school.
I like to sing directions to toddlers. If they are very noisy I may sing in a very soft voice. This makes them quiet down to hear.
As a school counselor, I like to work with the little ones on how to transition and recognize their emotions so we can talk about them. These stories will be a great way to have them interact and realize other kids might go through the same emotions or feelings and learn perspective taking as well.
As a special education teacher I’m teaching students who are in Middle School but some are at an age of Kindergarten for learning. We use social stories and made up incidences to help them learn and decide what to do in that situation. We also use videos so they can see it happen as well. Transitions are a struggle sometimes; mostly when they are engaged in a preferred activity or want to finish something first before transitioning. For this, we tell the student they have so many minutes (usually 1 to 3 minutes depending on the kiddo) and set a timer. We let them know what they are to do after the timer goes off and what the consequence will be if they don’t. We try to scaffold things from that all the way to what they would get in society.
I support transitions by posting a daily routine, provide 5 min and 3 min warnings to the end os an activity or at clean up time. I also use visuals with the task qe are trying to complete.
We read every day. I have music and rhymes for transition times so the kids know what we are doing next, as well as going over our “expected” schedule every day- we all know sometimes things get in the way.
Keeping everything else prepared so I’m not stressed and remain calm to set the tone.
Allowing more time so I transition at her pace.
I create a routine with transitions and will use visual prompts, visual schedules, visual story, music and make it fun. What I find that works is to keep using the same transition into one activity and maybe different one into another activity as long as I use the same one transition into the same activity every day.
I will invite them to help plan th change.
Transitions and routines! Two parts of daily life that brings security to a toddler’s life. Toddlers find comfort in the familiar and by providing routines within transitions a toddler can make sense of their day. Visual schedules, washing hands and toileting photos (sequence), familiar songs and rhymes that flow into body movement all support a toddler’s day.
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I support transition times with the children in my class and also the children in the church nursery by using visual aids and I use books and music. I let the children help one another if they can and if they want to. They like that they know what and when we will do things the same each day.
I like to use visual pictures. We put arrows on the schedule.
I would really like to own all of the series.
We support our children before transitions verbally, with picture cards, songs, visual schedule, stories, and if needed one-on-one support.
We use songs and picture procedures to support students.
The series of books are perfect for the toddler students. They help tell stories in an age appropriate way and have various topics that are helpful at home and at school.
Great resources are always needed for helping students with transitions. I know many teachers who would love these books.
We use songs, mighty minutes, games, to transition the children to the next activity. We have routines/visual schedule that we follow which helps the children know what is next, which helps minimize children that may be struggling with transitions.
When moving from one spot to another such as classroom to outside play ground marching like robots who do not talk is fun and keeps the line moving and the kids giggling. Think up characters they can move like to mix it up like the tin man or the lion or Spot the dog. This puts the focus on movement and more or less quietly going from one spot to another.
We take about our feelings and read books. Then they tell me how their feelings make them feel
I Love all séries very important for learning for primary school and for students i work with this tools à wonderful collection
We transition in small groups.
Older toddlers are becoming role models for younger toddlers showing them how to get dressed.
We sing songs and dance through the hallways or pretend to be animals.
We use an elevator and they like to take turns pressing the buttons.
We also have wagons that they like to sit in. They like to take turns and often remember who is next. Some toddlers like to help the teacher pull the wagon along!!
I have just started working with infants and toddlers. These books would be an awesome asset to have!
We take time to prepare our children for upcoming transitions. At the beginning of the school year we used a clock to talk about how long it will be before the student gets to see their mom/dad and going home. We also use the clock to show when we starts and when we finishes an activity.
We use songs, activity cards, mighty minute cards, we do charades, play games etc. The kiddos are given a count down as transition times approaches. If a kiddo is having a hard time transitioning we have a teacher or our Foster Grandma help the kiddo.
We make a game out of it with a fun, creative spirit for sharing next steps.
We all know children thrive on routine. I use songs as part of that routine. They are an awesome way to transition from one activity to another. These books could also be used as visual tools to cue children of what is expected. Love them!
I encourage little learners through transitions and routines by keeping things predictable. We use visual schedules and timers as well as transition music/chants.
❤️Our children in the toddler room love reading and circle time, they are 1 yr old and know when it is time to read when we sing “Everybody take a seat , take a seat, take a seat, everybody take a sweat on the floor, not on the ceiling, not on the door , everybody take a seat on the floor.❤️ when we transition we sing, and talk to them ahead of time to let them know what we were are doing. Routine is great and they love it and know when something is not right. These books would be awesome in our library!:)
I help students to learn to transition in several ways. As a BCBA for a school district I help support staff in helping students to be successful. Learning through books are a great way to help students with transition skills. Kiddos love story time and utilizing this time to teach skills that they will use throughout their school years is perfect.
Use eye contact and a hand sign.
Whenever possible, I time transitions so that the children are ready to move on.
We love games, songs, chants, and charts! We have mottos that we repeat during transitions and have friendly competitions during clean up time.
Keep transitions predictable when possible; practice visual, verbal and auditory cues.
We use songs, rhyming, visual cues, and reminders. The children love the songs and rhyming. They know when the transition is coming and what activity is next.
I support my little ones by giving them options. We also discuss their feelings when it’s a hard transition.
Excellent book for our children
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This would be a great addition to our classroom library!
I would love this to use in my classroom. The children would love this and so would I!!
We use visual schedules, songs, repetition, and reminders of what is coming next.
I use songs as transitions in class 🤗🤗
I would use the tools for supporting students on IEPs.
I use the same ball game to start every storytime at my library. I say my name, roll the ball to the child, and the child is supposed to say their name and roll the ball back. I always tell the parents it’s all about social/emotional learning since the first time they play, they don’t want to let go of the ball and it’s often many weeks before they will say their name out loud.
Using visual schedules, songs, rhymes and predictable expectations helps littles with transitions and routines.
Transitions activities and visual clues.
We keep our hello and good bye songs the same so there is repetition, and when we do a new rhyme we practice all the actions first so they know what is coming.
I use consistent and predictable routines along with rhymes, verbal cues, and sign language.
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I make sure to stick to a daily routine, and talk with them ahead of time if that routine is changing – and explain what we will be doing instead.
I would LOVE to read this set of Free Spirit books aloud to my guidance classes especially in TK-1st grades. That way it is a fun way to learn the expectations for the classroom and to practice this set of books and their social skills.
Songs, repetition and visuals
I try to make transitions short and engaging. I try to incorporate a song or activity to get them into and through the transition.
Excited to share these books!
Lots of repetition and songs to sing during our jobs
Keeping routine time and schedule and allow extra time.
As a school counselor, I go into classrooms to teach SEL lessons. Transitions, routines, visuals, and brain breaks are a huge part of working with young children!
For little kids hugs and reassuring words are very important encouraging them to get the work done.
I use visual schedules and transition cues
This looks like a wonderful collection that I could use in my role as a PD coordinator to help my teachers create meaningful routines, expectations, and transitions!
I love the Best Behavior series for the elementary students I work with. The Toddler Tools would help so much for our TK, PK, and even reviewing basics with K students. Currently, I use social stories and role-play to help them learn.
We help learners through transitions with songs, rhymes and repetition!
I use every minute, including transitions and routines, to teach my students life skills and academic skills. I like to use music, as well as story books, to teach skills to my students.
I encourage learners through transition by utilizing a sticker system – easy transitions through the day – sticker on chart. Students visualize the chart and recognize good transition time.
We have created transition routines that use visual schedules, the same songs, and transition toys so the children know what to expect.
I support by being prepared and starting to remind them before the transition time approaches. I ask some of the older kids to help with coats and mittens while I give that extra attention to those that I know struggle during this time.