Making Transitions Easier: ABA Strategies Families Can Use Every Day
By: Courtney Deyampert, BCBA
“Time to turn off the tablet!”
“We have to leave the playground.”
“Come on, it’s time for school!”
If these phrases sometimes lead to tears, yelling, running away, negotiating, or simply pretending not to hear you, you’re definitely not alone. Transitions can be challenging for many children, especially when they are being asked to stop something they enjoy or move to something less preferred.
The good news is that there are simple strategies based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) that families can use to make transitions more predictable and manageable.
What Is a Transition?
A transition is simply a change from one activity, place, person, or routine to another.
Transitions can be big, such as going from home to school, but most are much smaller. Think about a typical morning:
Wake up → bathroom → get dressed → eat breakfast → brush teeth → put on shoes → get in the car → arrive at school
Each arrow represents a transition!
Children may also transition between rooms, people, toys, preferred and non-preferred activities, or expectations. Even something as simple as being told to put down a toy and come to the dinner table is a transition.
How Many Transitions Do Kids Have in a Day?
There isn't one exact number because every child's schedule is different. However, when we count all the small changes between activities, children can easily experience dozens of transitions during a typical day.
Consider school alone: arriving, unpacking, moving to morning work, joining the group, going to centers, cleaning up, lining up, going to lunch, returning to class, going outside, coming back inside, and getting ready to go home.
Then they come home and transition through snacks, homework, play, dinner, bath time, screen time, and bedtime.
That's a lot of stopping, starting, waiting, and changing expectations!
For a child who has difficulty with flexibility, communication, waiting, or leaving preferred activities, those transitions can require a tremendous amount of effort.
Why Are Transitions Sometimes Difficult?
Before focusing on the behavior, it can help to ask why the transition is difficult.
A child may not understand what is happening next. They may be deeply engaged in their current activity. The next activity may be less preferred. They may have difficulty understanding time concepts such as “in a few minutes.” Sometimes transitioning has also become associated with demands: Every time someone says “clean up,” something fun ends and work begins.
Understanding the reason behind the difficulty helps us choose a better strategy.
ABA Strategies to Make Transitions Smoother
1. Give a Warning
Imagine someone walking up while you're watching your favorite show, turning off the TV without warning, and saying, “Let's go!”
You probably wouldn't love that either.
Instead, prepare your child for the upcoming change:
“Five more minutes, then bath.”
Follow it with another reminder:
“Two more minutes!”
Then:
“One more minute, then bath time.”
Warnings make the transition predictable rather than sudden.
2. Try a Visual Timer
For some children, hearing “five more minutes” doesn't mean very much. A visual timer allows them to actually see time passing.
You can say:
“When the timer is finished, we're cleaning up.”
The timer becomes the signal for the transition instead of the parent repeatedly saying, “Come on, it's time to go!”
3. Use First/Then Language
The Premack Principle, often called a First/Then strategy, can be especially helpful when a child is transitioning to something less preferred.
Keep it simple:
“First shoes, then outside.”
“First bath, then book.”
“First clean up, then snack.”
The child learns that completing the less-preferred activity leads to something they enjoy.
4. Give Choices—But Keep the Transition Non-Negotiable
Choices can give children an appropriate sense of control.
Instead of:
“Do you want to get ready for bed?”
Try:
“It's bedtime. Do you want to walk or hop to the bathroom?”
Or:
“We're cleaning up. Do you want to put away the blocks or the cars first?”
The transition still happens, but the child gets to make a choice about how it happens.
5. Use a Visual Schedule
Some children do much better when they can see what is happening throughout their day.
A simple schedule might look like:
Breakfast → Get dressed → School → Home → Snack → Play → Dinner → Bath → Bed
You don't need anything fancy. Pictures, drawings, printed images, or written words can all work depending on your child's needs.
As activities are completed, let your child check them off or remove them from the schedule.
6. Reinforce Successful Transitions
We often give children the most attention when transitions don't go well.
Try noticing when they do go well!
“You turned off your tablet when the timer went off. Nice job!”
“You came inside the first time I asked!”
“Great job cleaning up and getting ready for bath.”
For children who need additional motivation, successful transitions can also earn access to a preferred toy, activity, token, sticker, or other meaningful reinforcer.
7. Practice When the Stakes Are Low
Don't wait until you're already late for school to practice transitioning!
Build small transition opportunities into play.
For example:
“Let's play cars for two minutes, then we're switching to blocks.”
Practicing transitions during calm, successful moments gives your child opportunities to learn the skill before they need to use it during more difficult situations.
What If My Child Still Has a Tantrum?
Using transition strategies doesn't mean a child will never become upset.
The goal isn't necessarily to eliminate every protest. The goal is to teach the child the skills needed to successfully move from one activity to another.
If your child becomes upset, remain calm and keep your language simple. When appropriate, continue following through with the transition while prompting a more useful response, such as:
“Break, please.”
“One more minute.”
“Help me.”
“Can I have it later?”
Over time, these communication skills can begin replacing less effective ways of responding.
Remember: Transitioning Is a Skill
We sometimes think children should just know how to transition because it happens so frequently.
But transitioning involves several skills: stopping a preferred activity, tolerating delayed access, following directions, understanding what comes next, communicating appropriately, regulating emotions, and adapting to change.
That's a lot!
When we treat transitioning as a skill that can be taught, rather than simply expecting compliance, we can approach difficult moments differently.
Start small. Make transitions predictable. Reinforce success. Practice often.
Those little successes add up—and eventually, “Time to clean up!” may become much less stressful for everyone.
