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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Nursery Practice and Routines

Transition

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

/trænˈzɪʃən/nounCore term

In child development & early education, transition means: A change from one situation to another: either a big move such as starting nursery or school, or a small change during the day such as tidying up before lunch.

In Turkish: geçiş, geçiş süreci, etkinlikler arası geçiş

How it is used

Used for both meanings in planning and parent meetings: the transition to school, transitions between rooms and daily transitions. Staff use songs, timers and warnings ('five more minutes') to make transitions smoother.

Example sentences

  1. We start planning the transition to school in the summer term.

  2. Tidy-up time is a hard transition for some children, so we sing the same song every day.

Common collocations

  • transition to school
  • smooth transition
  • transition between rooms
  • daily transitions
  • transition meeting
  • settle inTo become comfortable and relaxed in a new place, such as a nursery or a new room, and get used to its people and routines.
  • routineThe regular order of events in a child's day, such as arrival, snack, play, meals, nap and home time, which helps children feel secure and know what comes next.
  • separation anxietyDistress a young child shows when separated from a parent or main carer, such as crying or clinging; in babies and toddlers it is a normal stage of development.
  • handoverA short exchange of information when a child passes from one adult to another, for example when a parent collects a child and staff explain how the day went.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Nursery Practice and Routines

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