Your Transition Toolkit

Keep a few go-to tools ready so the right one is always within reach:

• Transition songs: sing the same song every cleanup time, so the song becomes the signal, not your voice
• Visual timers: a sand timer or countdown app turns abstract minutes into something the child can see ending — the concrete marker from earlier, made visible
• Closure rituals: "Say goodbye to the playground. We'll come back tomorrow."

For screens, set the timer before they begin, not after, and let the child watch it count down.