Creating Smoother Transitions for Kids
Understanding What’s Happening Beneath the Behaviour
Leaving the playground. Turning off the TV. Getting dressed for kinder or school. Moving from playtime to dinner. Starting the bedtime routine.
For adults, these can seem like small changes. For children, moving from one activity, environment or expectation to another can sometimes require a lot more effort than we realise.
You might see tears, stalling, negotiation, frustration or a full meltdown over something that seemed relatively simple.
When this happens regularly, it can be easy to see the behaviour and think, Why is this such a big deal?
But understanding what may be happening beneath the behaviour can change the way we respond.
Why Can Transitions Be So Hard for Children?
A transition requires a child to stop focusing on one thing, process what is happening next and shift their attention and behaviour accordingly.
This draws on developing skills including:
cognitive flexibility
working memory
attention
impulse control
emotional self-regulation
These executive function skills continue developing throughout childhood and adolescence. Younger children, and some children with developmental, attention, anxiety or sensory differences, may therefore find transitions particularly demanding.
A child who is tired, hungry, overwhelmed or already having a difficult day might also have less capacity available to manage an unexpected change.
This is why the same child might move through a transition easily one day and find the exact same transition incredibly difficult the next.
What Can Transition Difficulties Look Like?
Every child expresses overwhelm differently.
You might notice:
tears or tantrums when an activity ends
repeatedly asking for "one more minute"
ignoring or appearing not to hear instructions
difficulty leaving preferred activities
frustration when plans unexpectedly change
needing things to happen in a particular order
difficulty settling into the next activity
becoming clingy or worried before a change
bigger emotional reactions when tired or overstimulated
Occasional resistance to change is a normal part of childhood.
It can become more important to explore when transitions are consistently intense, occur across multiple environments or significantly interfere with home, kinder, school or family life.
Behaviour Is Communication
One of the most helpful shifts we can make as adults is becoming curious about what a child's behaviour might be communicating.
A difficult transition doesn't automatically mean a child is being deliberately defiant.
They might be deeply engaged in what they're doing. They might not fully understand what is happening next. They might be disappointed, anxious, tired or overstimulated. Or the skills required to move calmly from one activity to another might still be developing.
Understanding the reason behind a behaviour can help parents and caregivers choose a more appropriate response.
Australian parenting guidance similarly recognises that changing activities can be difficult for children and recommends strategies including predictable routines, advance warning, appropriate timing and limited choices.¹
The Nervous System and Self-Regulation
The nervous system is involved in how we respond to the world around us, including stress, emotion and changes in our environment.
You might hear the autonomic nervous system explained using a simple gas pedal and brake pedal analogy.
The sympathetic nervous system helps prepare the body for action — our "gas pedal".
The parasympathetic nervous system supports processes associated with rest and recovery — our "brake pedal".
These systems naturally shift throughout the day depending on what we're doing and experiencing.
This analogy can be a useful way of understanding why a child who is already highly alert, excited, tired or overwhelmed may have more difficulty slowing down and moving into something new.
Importantly, struggling with transitions does not mean a child has dysautonomia or another nervous system disorder. Transition difficulties can have many possible explanations and should not be used to diagnose a medical, behavioural or developmental condition.
What About Children With ADHD, Anxiety or Sensory Differences?
Some children may find transitions particularly challenging.
For example, a child with ADHD might become intensely engaged in a preferred activity and find shifting their attention difficult. A child experiencing anxiety might worry about what is coming next. A child with sensory sensitivities might already be processing a busy environment before another demand is introduced.
There is no single explanation that applies to every child.
Rather than assuming the behaviour has one "root cause", it can be more helpful to understand the individual child, their environment and what makes particular transitions easier or harder for them.
Five Ways to Support Smoother Transitions
The good news is that there are practical ways parents and caregivers can make everyday transitions easier.
1. Give plenty of warning
Rather than suddenly announcing that it's time to leave, prepare your child for what is coming.
Try:
"We've got five more minutes at the park, then we're heading home."
A timer or visual countdown can also help younger children understand that an activity is coming to an end.
2. Create predictable routines
Knowing what comes next can reduce uncertainty.
Morning routines, bedtime routines and visual schedules can be particularly helpful. For younger children, pictures showing each step can make the routine easier to understand.
3. Offer small choices
The transition itself might not be optional, but your child can still have some control within it.
For example:
"It's time to leave the park. Would you like to walk to the car or hop like a kangaroo?"
or
"It's time to get dressed. Would you like the blue shirt or the green one?"
Keeping choices simple can help prevent additional overwhelm.
4. Look for natural stopping points
When possible, allow a child to finish a small part of what they're doing before changing activities.
Finishing the puzzle, having one last turn on the slide or completing the page they're colouring can sometimes make leaving an activity easier.
5. Bring calm to the moment
Children are still learning how to regulate strong emotions and often rely on the adults around them for support.
A calm voice, getting down to their level, acknowledging their disappointment and clearly explaining what happens next can help.
You might say:
"I know you're disappointed that playtime is finished. You were having fun. It's time for dinner now, and we can play again tomorrow."
You can hold a boundary while still acknowledging how your child feels.
Australian parenting resources describe self-regulation as something children develop over time through maturation, practice and warm, responsive relationships.¹
Don't Forget the Basics
A child's capacity for transitions can also change depending on what else is happening in their day.
Consider:
Have they slept well?
Are they hungry?
Has it been a particularly busy or stimulating day?
Have there been unexpected changes?
Are they rushing from one activity to another?
Do they have enough downtime and opportunities for movement?
Sometimes making the day slightly less demanding can make transitions noticeably easier.
When Should You Seek Additional Support?
It may be helpful to speak with a healthcare or developmental professional if your child's difficulties with transitions are frequent, intense or significantly affecting daily life.
A good starting point may be your child's:
GP
paediatrician
occupational therapist
psychologist
educator or school support team
This can be particularly important if transition difficulties occur alongside significant anxiety, developmental concerns, sensory challenges, regression or difficulties participating in everyday activities.
Where Chiropractic Care May Fit
Some families choose to include chiropractic care as part of their child's broader healthcare.
At Restore Studio, chiropractic care for children is individually assessed and adapted for their age, size, presentation and clinical needs.
Our chiropractors may also use non-invasive INSiGHT technology as part of the assessment process. Depending on the scan used, this technology can provide information about measures such as surface muscle activity, temperature patterns and heart rate variability.
These scans do not diagnose ADHD, anxiety, sensory processing difficulties, dysautonomia or the cause of a child's transition difficulties.
It is also important to be clear that chiropractic care is not promoted as a treatment for behavioural difficulties, emotional dysregulation, ADHD, anxiety or sensory processing disorders.
Where concerns fall outside chiropractic scope, we encourage families to seek appropriate assessment and work collaboratively with their child's broader healthcare team.
Looking Beneath the Behaviour
Transitions are part of every child's day.
Some children move between activities relatively easily. Others need more time, predictability and support.
Rather than immediately viewing resistance as "bad behaviour", it can help to ask:
What might my child need to move through this moment?
Sometimes that's a warning. Sometimes it's a predictable routine. Sometimes it's movement, connection, a little more time or simply an adult who can remain calm while their emotions feel big.
Understanding what sits beneath the behaviour doesn't mean removing every boundary or avoiding difficult transitions.
It means helping children gradually develop the skills and confidence to navigate change.
And those skills take time.
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Important Disclaimer
This article is intended for general educational purposes only and does not replace individual medical, developmental or psychological advice.
If you are concerned about your child's behaviour, emotional wellbeing, sensory processing, development or ability to participate in everyday activities, speak with your GP, paediatrician or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Restore Studio provides chiropractic care within the chiropractor's professional scope and works alongside other healthcare providers where appropriate.
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Updated: August 2026
Original Author: Dr Morgan Reimer, PX Docs
Reviewed by: Erin Black
Adapted for Restore Studio (Australia)Original article: Dr Morgan Reimer. Creating Smoother Transitions for Kids (With the Nervous System). PX Docs. Updated 10 August 2026. Reviewed by Erin Black.
Blair, C. (2016). Executive function and early childhood education. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 10, 102–107.
Schreiber, J. E., Possin, K. L., Girard, J. M., & Rey-Casserly, C. (2014). Executive function in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: The NIH EXAMINER battery. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 20(1), 41–51.
Buttelmann, F., & Karbach, J. (2017). Development and plasticity of cognitive flexibility in early and middle childhood. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1040.
Li, D., Li, L., Zang, W., et al. (2023). Effect of physical activity on attention in school-age children with ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in Physiology, 14, 1189443.
Raising Children Network. Activity changes for kids: behaviour tips. Australian Government-supported parenting resource.
Raising Children Network. Self-regulation in children and teenagers.
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra). Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service.
Chiropractic Board of Australia & Ahpra. Advertising a regulated health service: Chiropractic examples.