About Mia

Mia is an EYFS teacher and the creator of  Miss E Early Years, an online platform sharing practical resources and inspiration for early years educators. Her content includes engaging learning activities, classroom printables and creative ideas for building inviting, purposeful learning environments.

Transitioning into Early Years classrooms

Transitions are a huge part of a child’s Early Years journey. Whether they’re starting nursery for the first time, moving into Reception, changing settings or preparing for their next stage of education, periods of change can bring lots of different emotions.

Of course, for some children change is exciting, but for others it can feel overwhelming. The way we prepare for and support these transitions can make a real difference to how safe, confident and ready children feel.

What are school transitions and what can they look like for young children?

A school transition is a period of change where pupils move from one room, class or setting to another. In the Early Years stage, we often think of the big transitions, such as starting nursery, moving from nursery into Reception or moving from Reception into Year 1. However, young children experience smaller transitions all the time! This might include moving between rooms within a setting, having a new key person or teacher, changes to routines, moving house, starting a new school or returning to school following a long break.

What feels like a relatively straightforward change to an adult can feel huge to a young child, so it’s important for new caregivers, teachers, environments, expectations, routines, sounds and experiences to be processed.

Why is support so important during Early Years transitions?

Children learn best when they feel safe, secure and connected to the adults and environment around them. This is why I believe a successful transition period should focus on belonging before expectation.

Before worrying about what a child can write, count or recognise, we need to help them understand that this is where they belong, these are the adults who will help them and this is what happens here.

Good transition support gives children time to build those connections and develop familiarity. It can reduce anxiety, boost confidence and allow children to begin their new experience feeling positive and secure. It’s also important to remember that transitions don't finish after the first day - they can take weeks and months.

The transition period needs to be viewed as a process rather than an event, especially as some children may appear confident initially and find things more difficult several days or weeks later.

How can Early Years settings help children prepare for starting school?

Familiarity is incredibly powerful! Before children start school, parents can show them photos of their new classroom, teachers, toilets, outdoor spaces and other important areas.
Stories, discussions, role play and visual resources can also help children begin to understand what their new experience might look like.

Where possible, visits to the school and classroom are also invaluable. Children can meet their teacher, explore their classroom and begin making connections before their first day.

Practitioners can also talk positively but realistically about starting school. But rather than promising that everything will be exciting and fun, you could acknowledge that it’s okay to feel nervous, unsure or to miss familiar adults.

At the start, don't underestimate practical independence skills, like putting on a coat, recognising belongings, opening a snack, going to the toilet, washing their hands and asking an adult for help. These can all help children feel more confident when they start.
I will always recommend the use of visuals to support this - there are lots of resources on the Miss E Early Years website you can use.

How can practitioners support the move from nursery to Reception?

Communication between settings is key. Transition information should give the receiving teacher a picture of the whole child, rather than simply a set of assessment data.
Useful information includes what the child enjoys, what makes them laugh, how they communicate, what helps them when they’re upset, who they play with as well as any sensory needs or interests that help them feel secure.

Where possible, Reception practitioners visiting children in their nursery environment can be incredibly valuable too. We often see a very different child when they’re somewhere they already feel safe and confident.

I also think there’s real value in creating links between the two environments. A familiar song, story, visual or routine in their new setting can offer them a small but meaningful piece of their safe space .

How can Early Years practitioners support a new child joining a setting or school?

Children joining at other points in the year deserve the same thoughtful transition support as children starting in September.
It can be easy to forget how established a classroom feels several months into the year. The other children already know where things belong, what happens next and what different instructions mean. A new child doesn't, so it’s worth going back to the beginning and stripping it back.

My top tips? Show them where their belongings go, introduce them to the important adults, model routines explicitly, use photographs and visual prompts and give them time to observe before expecting them to join in.

Most importantly, avoid expecting a child to immediately fit into an already-established routine. Give them time and remember that building strong relationships and trust is key!

How can transition support be adapted for children with SEND?

For children with SEND, transition planning may need to begin earlier and be more individualised. There isn't one transition strategy that will work for every child, so practitioners should work closely with families, previous settings and other professionals to understand what that particular child needs.

Strategies such as the following may be beneficial: additional or shorter visits, visiting when the environment is quieter, showing them photographs of key adults and spaces and giving them a personalised transition booklet as well as a visual timetable and now-and-next boards.

Remember to keep important routines consistent where possible, identify a safe or quiet space, ensure sensory needs are considered, use the child's preferred communication method and share successful regulation strategies between settings.

Consistency can be particularly reassuring. If a child already successfully uses certain symbols, language, communication systems or regulation strategies, consider how these can continue into their new environment rather than introducing something completely different straight away.

How can practitioners support children's emotional wellbeing during periods of change?

One of the most important things we can do is give children permission to feel however they feel. We don't need to immediately fix every worried or sad feeling. Sometimes children simply need an adult to recognise it.
Validating them by saying "You're missing Mummy, I understand it's hard saying goodbye" helps children feel understood.

Predictability also supports emotional wellbeing. I use lots of clear visuals and consistent language within my own Reception classroom so that children know what’s happening and what’s expected. This includes use of a visual timetable, a now-and-next board or 'What Tidy Looks Like', which can all support this process.
At the beginning of the year, I also like to strip things back. An environment where every area, resource and expectation is introduced at once can be overwhelming. Provision can be gradually opened and introduced as children learn how to access it, use it and tidy it.

Slowing down at the beginning isn't lost learning time - building secure routines, relationships and expectations creates the foundations for everything that follows.
Remember to use visuals and photographs as reminders for the children. There are lots of resources on my website to support this.

What resources can help children feel more confident and prepared through this period?

The most useful transition resources are often the simplest ones - resources that make something unfamiliar feel a little more predictable. These might include visual timetables, routine cards, photographs of key adults and areas, transition booklets, feelings resources, story prompts, classroom expectation visuals, home-time routines, toilet and handwashing sequences, tidy-up visuals and simple choice boards.
I particularly love using real-life photographs wherever possible. For a young child, seeing what something will actually look like can make it much easier to understand than just being told what will happen.

Resources should support interaction rather than replace it. A transition booklet is most powerful when an adult and child look through it together, talk about the photographs, ask questions and revisit it as many times as the child needs.

Ultimately, successful transition isn't about getting children ‘school ready’ as quickly as possible. It's about creating an environment that is ready to welcome the child. When children feel that they belong, know who will help them and understand their new environment, their confidence grows - and learning can follow.
Remember, you are doing an amazing job. Navigating and managing 30 little people can be really tough, but you've got this!