What
What are the daily transitions for your children? Bath time? Waking up? Getting in the car? Think about them. List them.
Expectations
What are your expectations of your children during transitions? Do you take factors into consideration? (i.e. Age of your children? The amount of sleep or stress they are experiencing? Their interests? Personality?) Do you have different expectations for your 2 year old than your 6 year old?
Them
How do THEY handle transitions? (List each child individually). What about when transitions are hard or soft—is that a factor?
You
How do YOU react to their reactions? (List each child individually).
What
What causes them to not transition well? Lack of preparation? Being abruptly removed from an activity they are engrossed in? Too much stimulation? Think about it. List what seems to affect each child individually.
Identify Patterns
It’s almost been a full week. Look back over this week’s journal entries. Do you see any patterns? Do the difficult transitions happen at the same time of day? During the same activity? Do you see any triggers for cooperative or negative reactions during transitions?
Identify Factors
Do your children have a harder time with transitions when they are hungry? Thirsty? Tired? Not sleeping well? What role do basic needs like hunger, thirst, and being tired play in their attitude during transitions?