"I Know What’s Next!” Preschool Transitions Without Tears or Turmoil by Betsy Evans

Book review by Serena Johnson

The realities of transitions, planned and unexpected, for young children are complex. Helping them to build skills to cope with the wide variety of transitions they will encounter in their lives is essential for their well-being.

” I Know What’s Next!” Preschool Transitions Without Tears or Turmoil’ aims to assist adults to re-think ‘empty’ transitions and transform them into learning experiences that are as full and rich as other parts of the day.

As Betsy points out in the introductory chapter, no single approach to transitions will work for every child, however there are key principles to bear in mind:

• Take the child’s perspective and keep the developmental characteristics of young children in mind
• As you plan what to do during shifts in activities consider what distractions or additional tasks may occur and plan your staffing so that there will be someone available to support the children
• For each change in activities, make a plan that includes an activity with choices, a warning and extra transition time
• Children need to be given the time they need to move through transitions playfully and to express any feelings they have

These principles are then discussed in depth in the remainder of the book which includes many suggestions, ideas and strategies for supporting positive transitions. Specific problems are highlighted by illustrations presented in picture stories very much in the tradition of the Faber and Mazlish books such as ‘How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk’. Each chapter also includes ‘Top Tips’ which are quick summaries of key points for responding to the challenges discussed in depth in each chapter.

The strategies in Chapter Two, ‘Letting Go and Moving On’, focus on re-assuring children that a new setting is psychologically and emotionally safe and a fun place to be by putting separation strategies for parents and children in place. The chapter also describes a number of ideas to support children at the beginning and end of daily session transitions and emphasises that the critical message to convey is that adults are there to support children every step of the way.

Chapter Three, ‘Moving Through the Daily Routine’, offers suggestions to ensure that ‘between times’ can be learning times and that the emotional tone of the whole day is positive and balanced. Features of this chapter include transition strategies, songs and games and include specific ideas for moving to outside time, rest time and preventing and resolving turn taking issues.

In Chapter Four, Waiting in Line = Wasted Time, Circle Up!’ Betsy says that inviting children to wait is to invite chaos! Waiting times, especially those when children are asked to wait in line are totally unproductive and set children up to fail. Active waiting times are suggested including the concept of ‘circling up’instead of lining up.

In Chapter Five ‘Cleanup Time – More Than a Transition’ Betsy writes of the differing expectations of adults and children regarding tidy up time and shares over forty ideas to engage children and add playfulness to what is often seen as a difficult element of the daily routine.

The Appendix concluding the book includes a number of parent handouts and letters which could be adapted for the UK context and individual settings.

This is a thoughtful and practical book written and presented clearly and attractively enabling support for what can be potentially stressful times in children’s lives and Betsy usefully includes strategies developed in her previous book, ‘You Can’t Come to My Birthday Party!’ The picture stories are very accessible and make their point well although the naive style is sometimes unappealing and the children depicted look at the top of the EYFS age range if not older. The latter is also true of a number of the photos and some of the strategies for active waiting times seem aimed at older children. However these are minor criticisms and I have no hesitation in thoroughly recommending ‘I Know What’s Next!’ which is dedicated to ‘all the small children who are counting on us to let them know what is coming next.’ This book gives us many ideas in fulfilling that obligation.

Serena Johnson