Transitions and Routines

The terms transitions and routines are often linked together to describe dimensions of early childhood care settings and refer to classroom organization and teacher strategies around the use of time and space. Transitions refer to times during the day when children move from one learning activity to another (e.g., from the art center to the manipulative center), or from one designated activity time to another (e.g., from whole group to outdoors). Routines refer to events that happen on a regular and recurring basis within group early care and education settings and are typically associated with task-oriented activities such as greeting and dismissal times as well as personal care routines such as diapering. Routines also include the overall organization of the daily schedule. This entry provides ...