Change isn't easy for any of us, and can be especially stressful for children. Challenging behavior often occurs when we ask children to change where they are, what they are doing, their level of activity, and so forth. With each change comes a slightly different set of expectations and a need to adjust to the change.

In training child care staff on easing the way for smooth transitions, we ask participants to take a careful look at the changes their program asks children to make and to develop skills to help make transitions smoother, more child-centered, more fun, and therefore less likely to cause difficult behavior.

Consider one common transition in which children often get bored and in trouble - waiting. Think back to times in your own life when waiting in line was boring! Even a short time felt like forever - (Department of Motor Vehicles, ticket lines, super markets). What was that like? Now think back to times when you didn't really mind waiting in line. There was something that made waiting seem like part of the fun and time seemed to pass quickly(at a theme or amusement park, watching a street magician while waiting for a movie, or talking with a friend.) What was that like?

Now ask yourself how much waiting happens in your program? What can be done to cut down how often you ask children to wait? How can you cut down how long children have to wait?

When children do need to wait, it can be boring or it can be fun. What makes the difference? What can staff do to make waiting more fun for kids?

IDEAS FOR WAITING IN LINE

• Sing Songs
• Follow the Leader Lines
• Walk backwards
• Walk like an elephant, or monkey, or other animal
• Create a relay line

IDEAS FOR WAITING TILL EVERYONE'S READY

• Sing Songs
• Read or Tell a Story
• Let kids start when individuals are ready
• Share favorites - foods, places, people, sports, thing that happened today, Halloween costumes, Ask "What scares you? Spiders, Snakes, Dark?"

Waiting is hard for children (and most adults) to do. By cutting down or eliminating waiting, and paying attention to making necessary waiting time fun, we can ease the way during transitions and help children learn skills to adapt to change in their lives.

FUN AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

You doesn't have to be around kids long to know that they are willing to do almost anything that seems like fun. Anyone who leads children's activities will find children more cooperative, more eager to learn, and more fun to be around if they learn some simple leadership skills which help kids create fun.

One of the hallmarks for great leaders of fun is that they can come up with ideas for fun at a moment's notice. You can too if you develop a recreation and fun kit that you always have with you.

Your recreation kit should have ideas and equipment that will remind you of all kinds of fun things you can do. Keep your kit in a box, an old suitcase, a duffle bag, whatever you have that suits your needs. If you'll always be playing in one place, your kit can be heavy. If you'll be moving around, you'll want your kit to be lightweight and portable. What do you put in it? Here are some ideas to help you get started.

LISTS AND IDEAS

• Lists of games organized according to purpose: Icebreakers, circle games, quiet games, line games, brain teasers, cooperative challenges, and so forth. I list only games I like and know backwards and forwards.
• Index cards with specific games and an order of play that you can put in your back pocket as a reminder. I have a card that has a thirty minute sequence of games for children who don't know each other yet. I have another card that has a fifteen minute sequence of games for children who are waiting in line. I have still another card that has a sequence of games for an afternoon of team building activity.
• Lists of songs organized by purpose: fun, quiet, and so forth. When somebody says "Let's sing a song," nearly everyone forgets every song they've ever heard. I keep two or three "all purpose songs" in my head and twenty or thirty different songs to be sung at different times and for different reasons on a list I can refer to in my recreation kit. To avoid getting into a song rut where you might sing the same five songs over and over again, place some over sung songs on a "Moratorium List." I held a funeral for "Little Bunny Foo Foo" five years ago and don't plan its resurrection till June of 1997.

Stuff your Recreation Kit with fun producing equipment and supplies:

Always monitor the use of supplies and equipment for safety. Some of the above items would be inappropriate for young children but can contribute to great fun for school-agers who are well supervised while having fun.

Make Waiting Fun is a collaborative effort of Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York State Department of Social Services, Office of Human Resource Development.

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