Transitions Playbook

Calming Activities to Decrease Energy Levels

When young people are entering the Club or Youth Center after school or early in the morning during summer, they can be full of energy. Also, when youth are in the gym or gamesroom before transitioning to lower-energy activities – such as homework time, arts or the computer lab – it can be challenging to calm down. Here are five quick and easy activities to decrease energy levels.

Dim the Lights

1. Before youth enter the activity area, dim the lights or turn them off.
2. Speak to youth in a quiet, peaceful voice.
3. Entering a dark space will help children to relax, calm down and lower their energy levels.

Musical Mindfulness

1. Before youth enter the activity area, play slow, relaxing music.
2. Instrumental music without lyrics and music with slow beats is best for calming young people and lowering energy levels.

Yoga and Stretching

1. Simple yoga moves and stretching exercises lower energy levels.
2. It also increases mindfulness and helps youth relax as they enter an activity area.

Deep Breathing

Follow this script for a mindful-awareness deep-breathing exercise:

1. “To begin, I want you to lie down on the floor. Rest your hands by your side, palms down. Lie very still and close your eyes.”
2. “I will count to help you know when to breathe in and out. When breathing in, fill your lungs completely – imagine filling a big balloon full of air. When breathing out, empty your lungs completely.”
3. “Inhale 1 – 2 – 3 and hold. Exhale 3 – 2 – 1 and hold.” (Repeat this multiple times.) “Relax, and notice only your breath. Let’s take one more deep breath, 1 – 2 – 3, hold it and now slowly exhale, 3 – 2 – 1. Now open your eyes and sit up slowly.”
4. “How do you feel? Are you relaxed and calm? If you are ever in a situation where you start to feel frustrated, tense or upset, you can use this breathing exercise to help you become calm.”

Body Scan

1. Prompt youth to sit comfortably in their chairs.
2. Tell them to think about how each body part feels, starting with their toes and moving slowly toward their heads. Tell them to think how heavy it feels, how it pulses or moves, and how warm or cold it is.
3. Prompt youth to take deep, rhythmic breaths and do their best to clear their minds – they can close their eyes if they wish.
4. Once a few minutes have passed and everyone has had time to go through each body part, end the exercise by saying: “Notice the feeling of being connected to your body. Take comfort in this moment. A body scan can help manage stress and bring awareness to your body. This is something you can easily do at your desk at school without drawing attention to yourself if you ever need a moment to relax.”

Energizers to Increase Energy Levels

When young people are entering the Club or Youth Center after school, they may be very tired. Also, when youth are in homework time or the computer lab before transitioning to higher-energy activities in the gym or gamesroom, they can take a while to get energized. Here are four quick and easy activities to increase their energy levels.

Pogo Stick

1. Have youth stand arms-length apart from one another.
2. Tell them they are human pogo sticks, and they have to see how many times they can jump up and down in 60 seconds.

All Tangled Up

1. Start by dividing young people into groups of up to 10.
2. Tell them to form a tight circle: They must grab the hand of anyone in the group, except for the people standing directly next to them.
3. Next tell them to take their other hand and grab the hand of anyone in the group, except for the people standing next to them or the person they are already holding hands with. This forms the “human knot.”
4. The challenge is to get untangled without letting go of each other’s hands. Emphasize getting untangled requires communication and cooperation.

Mirror, Mirror

1. Use a grouper to divide youth into pairs.
2. Have one young person in each pair start as the leader facing their partner.
3. Leaders will move their bodies in different positions, and their partners will copy their movements. For example, if the leader puts their hands on their head, their partner has to put their hands on their own head too.
4. After 30 seconds, switch so the other player is now the leader.

Buzz

1. Ask the group to stand up and form a circle.
2. Have everyone take turns saying a number, starting with 1, 2, 3. At every number with a 4 in it or a multiple of 4, that person needs to say BUZZ instead of the number. The next person continues the series as normal.
3. For example: 1-2-3-buzz-5-6-7-buzz-9-10-11-buzz-13-buzz-15-buzz-17 …
4. You can choose any number that might be relevant and replace the buzz with another word.

Games to Help Youth Transition Between Programs

Use these games as a fun, directed way to get younger children to transition. Incorporating healthy play through games like these can help reduce behavioral issues, increase movement time, and build valuable skills all while having fun!

Attention Getters to Use Anytime

Transitions can get chaotic – and loud! Attention getters help you catch the attention of the young people in your care and ensure they are ready for their next instructions.

Musical Instruments

1. If you have a xylophone, triangle, bell, chimes or a song recording, use it to get your young people’s attention.
2. Let them know when they hear the music, they must stop talking, stop moving, and pay attention to their instructor.

Clapping Patterns

1. Use a unique clapping pattern to call the attention of your youth.
2. When you do the clapping pattern, youth should stop what they are doing and repeat that clapping pattern back to you.

Call and Response

1. When you say a word or phrase, participants respond with another.
2. Here are a few examples:
   • “Wakanda” > “Forever”
   • “Peanut butter” > “Jelly time”
   • “Flat tire” > “Shhhh”
   • “Red Robin” > “Yummmm”
   • “Hocus pocus” > “Everybody focus”
   • “Winner winner” > “Chicken dinner”
   • “Mac and cheese” > “Everybody freeze”
   • “Holy moly” > “Guacamole”
   • “Ba-da-ba-pa-pa” > “I’m loving it”
   • “And a hush fell over the room” > “Hushhhhh”

Flicker the Lights

1. Turn the lights in your room off and on to alert your young people.
2. Do this two or three times, until you have their attention.

Emotional Check-Ins to Help Youth Transition Into the Club or Youth Center

Young people typically arrive at the Club or Youth Center after a full day of school. This means by the time they walk through the doors they may be feeling tired, hungry, restless, excited, stressed or any combination of emotions. Emotional check-ins are a way to help young people process their feelings from what may be going on in their lives, or anything they experienced that day, to prepare for their time at the Club. Start by having youth stand or sit in a circle to share, or approach them individually as they enter.

Ways to Engage Guardians and Caregivers at Pickup

Below are examples of ways to develop meaningful relationships with guardians and caregivers. Let them know about any new events or opportunities at the Club or Youth Center, and share information about their children.

Reflection Activities to Help Youth Transition When They Leave the Club for the Day

Ask youth to reflect on their time at the Club or Youth Center to end their day. Here are some open-ended reflection questions and conversation starters to use just before they head home.

Three Good Things

Ask youth to tell you or their family at least three good things that happened to them at school and/or the Club or Youth Center that day. 

Two Stars and a Wish

Have young people write or share two things they felt supported on today (stars) and one thing they want to get help with tomorrow (wish).

I’ve Got Skills

Ask youth to reflect on and share one new skill they learned this week, or a skill they want to learn next week.

Confidence Is Key

Ask youth to think about a challenge they faced this week and how they overcame it. Ask what they learned from their experiences.

High-Five

Take the time to say goodbye to or high-five each young person as they leave. Compliment them on something they did well that day. Let them know you are excited to see them tomorrow, and tell them at least one fun activity happening the next day.

Pulse Checks

Use these methods to check in with your youth. You can have them reflect on their experiences, give feedback, or vote on future activities or ideas.

Exit Polls

Exit polls allow youth to give quick feedback as they leave a room, responding to one or two questions or voting for popularity. 

Setup: Any place a question can be posted and containers or poster set up

Considerations: For younger participants, consider using emojis or images for response options. Make it a standard check-out feature on a daily basis or on certain days, with children receiving a token or sticker as they exit.

Steps to Reframing Conflict

Use these steps to reframe conflict when it occurs between youth.

1. Approach the conflict calmly. Your first reaction is critical. If you are upset, your stress or anger can potentially make matters worse. Start by approaching the situation in a way that models what you want youth to do – that is, to stay calm. Resist the urge to judge the situation or the youth involved. If more than one young person is involved in the conflict, you may need to safely separate them and take turns speaking with each person to get the full picture.
2. Acknowledge feelings. Help youth express their feelings in a safe and supportive way. For example, allow for cool-down time in order for emotions to settle. Avoid using judgmental statements or making comparisons, like “What’s wrong with you?” or “I wish you would behave like the other kids.” Rather, try to reflect back on the feelings they are expressing or showing. For example: “It seems like you are really frustrated, Qiara. Is that correct?”
3. Gather information to understand the conflict. Similar to acknowledging feelings, youth want their perspectives to be heard. This allows them to practice both communication and listening skills, and for you to model good listening and problem-solving.
4. Restate the problem. Restating the problem allows you to understand what led to the initial conflict. It also ensures youth feel heard. For example, you could say: “It seems like there is a misunderstanding about who won the point. It seems like Marcus thought the ball was out of bounds, and Tessa thought the ball was in bounds.” This provides youth the opportunity to clarify what they said, and allows everyone to focus on the details of the conflict. Restating the problem also allows for all parties involved to reflect on how they are feeling, what caused the dispute, and identify what could be done differently to prevent the conflict from happening again.
5. Ask for/jointly develop solutions. If youth are unable to offer solutions, you can support them by asking open-ended questions. For example: “How might we handle this differently if it happened again?” As the adult, you may need to provide additional support to youth who seem stuck or for younger youth.
6. Offer follow-up support. After youth have agreed on a solution or next steps, be sure to follow up to determine how they are feeling, and to check if the jointly developed solution is making a difference.

*See the Do: Tools for Implementation section for Fundamental #1