Supporting Transitions in Early Years: A Complete Guide (2026)

Every child faces multiple transitions during their early years — from home to nursery, between rooms as they grow, sometimes to a different setting, and eventually to school. How these transitions are managed can significantly impact a child’s confidence, emotional wellbeing, and development.

The Early Years Foundation Stage framework recognises transitions as critical moments requiring thoughtful support. Under EYFS statutory guidance, practitioners must “review children’s progress and share a summary with parents” at key transition points, ensuring continuity as children move between settings.

This guide explores the four main types of early years transitions, explains how quality nurseries support each one, and provides practical strategies for parents navigating these important changes.

Understanding the Four Types of Transitions

1. Home to Nursery: The First Separation

Starting nursery represents a child’s first major transition from the familiar home environment to a new setting with unfamiliar adults and children.

What makes this challenging:

• First extended separation from primary caregivers
• New routines, smells, sounds, and expectations
• Building trust with new adults
• Sharing attention rather than receiving one-to-one care
• Managing emotions without familiar comfort strategies

EYFS requirements: The key person approach is statutory. Each child must have a designated practitioner who builds a genuine relationship with the child and family, providing emotional security during settling in.

2. Moving Rooms: Internal Transitions

As children develop, they typically move from baby rooms to toddler rooms, then to pre-school rooms. These transitions happen around age-appropriate developmental milestones.

What makes this challenging:

• Leaving familiar key person and room environment
• Different routines and expectations suited to older children
• Peer group changes
• More independence expected
• Physical environment designed for different developmental stage

Common transition points:

• Baby room to toddler room (around 18-24 months)
• Toddler room to pre-school (around 2.5-3 years)
• Pre-school to school leavers (around 4 years)

3. Changing Nurseries: External Moves

Families change nurseries for various reasons — relocation, dissatisfaction with current setting, sibling logistics, or preference changes.

What makes this challenging:

• Complete change of environment and relationships
• Different routines and pedagogical approaches
• New peer friendships to establish
• Potentially different EYFS curriculum delivery
• Loss of established trust with current practitioners

4. Nursery to School: The Big Transition

The move to Reception class represents the most significant early years transition, shifting from play-based learning to more structured education.

What makes this challenging:

• Larger class sizes and different adult-to-child ratios
• More formal routines and expectations
• Longer sessions with less flexibility
• Different physical environment (bigger building, playground)
• New uniform and belongings to manage
• Less individualised care than nursery setting

How EYFS Supports Effective Transitions

The revised EYFS framework (2021, updated guidance 2024) embeds transition support throughout statutory requirements:

Information sharing: Settings must provide parents with a short written summary of their child’s development in the prime areas between ages two and three (the Progress Check at Age Two). This supports transitions to new rooms or settings.

Partnership with parents: Practitioners must “discuss children’s progress regularly with parents and involve them in their child’s learning” — crucial for managing transitions collaboratively.

Key person requirement: The key person must “help ensure that every child’s learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs” and “seek to engage and support parents in guiding their child’s development at home.”

Safeguarding continuity: When children transfer to another setting or school, practitioners must “share relevant information with the setting or school including details of any safeguarding matters.” This ensures vulnerable children receive continuous support through transitions.

Supporting the Home-to-Nursery Transition

Quality nurseries implement structured settling-in processes that build attachment gradually.

Before Starting

Home visits: Many nurseries arrange a pre-start home visit where the key person meets the child in their familiar environment. This helps the child recognise their key person on day one and allows practitioners to understand home routines and preferences.

Nursery visits: Arrange at least one visit where your child explores the room while you stay present. Let them investigate toys, outdoor space, and toilets at their own pace.

Photo books: Some nurseries create personalised photo books showing the child’s key person, coat peg, the room, and routine activities. Reading this at home builds familiarity.

All-about-me forms: Completing detailed information about your child’s routines, preferences, comfort objects, dietary needs, and development helps practitioners provide continuity from day one.

During Settling In

Gradual approach: Research-backed settling-in processes typically follow this pattern:

• Session 1: One hour with parent staying (60 mins)
• Session 2: Two hours with parent staying, practitioner provides some care (120 mins)
• Session 3: Two hours, parent leaves briefly (30 mins), returns
• Sessions 4-5: Three hours, parent leaves (if child copes well)
• Sessions 6+: Gradually extend to full sessions

Key person focus: Your child’s key person should provide most care during settling in — nappy changes, mealtimes, comforting — to build the primary attachment.

Communication objects: Bringing a comfort item from home (blanket, soft toy, family photo) provides emotional security. Quality nurseries welcome these transitional objects.

Honest goodbyes: Always say goodbye rather than slipping away. Brief, positive goodbyes (“Mummy’s going to work, I’ll pick you up after lunch, have fun”) work better than prolonged departures that heighten anxiety.

What to Expect

Regression is normal: Previously toilet-trained children may have accidents. Independent children may become clingy at home. Sleep and appetite may temporarily change. These are normal responses to significant change.

Delayed reaction: Some children settle beautifully initially, then struggle in week two or three once they realise the pattern is permanent. This is developmentally normal and usually resolves with consistent reassurance.

Daily feedback: Your key person should provide brief daily updates during the settling-in period — what your child ate, activities they enjoyed, any distress and how it was managed.

For more detailed guidance on the settling-in process, see our nursery settling-in guide.

Supporting Room Transitions Within a Nursery

Moving rooms represents significant change despite staying within the same building.

How Quality Nurseries Manage Room Moves

Transition plans: A written plan typically includes:

• Start date for transition visits
• Gradual visit schedule (usually 2-3 weeks of short sessions)
• Key person handover meetings
• Parent meeting to discuss the process

Buddy system: The current key person often accompanies the child on early visits to the new room, providing security while the new key person gradually takes over.

Transfer documents: Detailed information about development, interests, friendships, care routines, and any concerns transfers to the new key person. Parents should receive copies.

Familiar items: Some nurseries let children bring special items from their old room temporarily, or display photos of previous key person and friends.

Timing considerations: Quality settings avoid transitions during unsettled periods (illness, new sibling, house move) where possible, and never rush the process to fill spaces.

What Parents Can Do

Visit together: Ask to spend time in the new room with your child before the formal transition begins.

Meet the new key person: Arrange an informal chat so your child sees you trusting this new adult.

Read books about change: Age-appropriate stories about moving up, growing bigger, or making new friends normalise the experience.

Maintain home routines: Keep bedtime, mealtimes, and weekend activities consistent to provide stability while nursery changes.

Trust the process: Nurseries manage dozens of room transitions annually. Follow their transition plan rather than rushing or delaying based on daily mood fluctuations.

Supporting Changes to a New Nursery

Changing nurseries entirely requires careful planning to minimise disruption.

Before Deciding to Move

Consider whether concerns could be resolved through discussion with current nursery management. Moving represents significant upheaval for your child, so ensure the decision addresses genuine issues rather than temporary frustrations.

Use our nursery comparison tool to evaluate alternatives objectively against specific criteria.

When You’ve Decided to Change

Transfer documents: Request your child’s learning journey, development records, Progress Check at Age Two (if completed), and any care plans. Under EYFS guidance, settings should share this information to ensure continuity.

Visit new setting together: Spend extended time (not just a quick tour) at the new nursery while it’s operating so your child experiences the actual environment and noise level.

Meet the new key person: If possible, arrange a dedicated meeting between your child, you, and their new key person before starting.

Prepare honestly: Explain the change using positive language: “You’re going to a new nursery where there’s a big garden” rather than “We didn’t like your old nursery.” Children pick up on negative emotions.

Timing: If possible, start during a quieter period (not straight after holidays when many new children start) and allow 2-4 weeks before any other major changes like potty training.

Fresh settling-in: Even if your child has been in childcare for years, treat this as a fresh start requiring a gradual settling-in process. Don’t assume previous experience means they’ll adapt instantly.

Maintaining Contact

Some children benefit from a final goodbye visit to their old nursery to achieve closure. Others find this confusing. Trust your knowledge of your child’s temperament.

Supporting the Nursery-to-School Transition

The move to Reception requires preparation spanning several months.

What Quality Nurseries Do

Transition plans (6 months before):

• Identify which schools children will attend
• Arrange teacher/practitioner meetings
• Plan transition activities and visits

School visits: Most nurseries arrange visits to local schools during the summer term, often paired with Reception buddies. Some schools host special sessions for incoming nursery children.

Information sharing: Learning journeys and development summaries transfer to Reception teachers, highlighting strengths, interests, and any additional needs. This sharing is encouraged (though not statutory) under EYFS guidance.

Independence skills: Pre-school rooms focus on self-care skills needed for school: using toilets independently, managing coat and belongings, opening lunch boxes, recognising own name, following instructions in larger groups.

Parent workshops: Quality settings host school readiness sessions covering what to expect, how to support at home, and answering concerns.

Books and role-play: Reading stories about starting school and setting up school-themed role-play areas familiarise children with what’s coming.

Photos and videos: Some nurseries create books showing the new school building, playground, and Reception classroom to reduce fear of the unknown.

What Parents Can Do

Visit together: Attend all school transition events. Walk or drive past the school regularly so the building becomes familiar.

Meet the teacher: Reception teachers often visit nurseries or host meet-the-teacher sessions. These help your child see you trusting this new adult.

Practice routines: Before September, gradually shift bedtime and wake-up time to match school hours. Practice getting dressed independently and eating breakfast within a timeframe.

School uniform practice: Let your child wear uniform pieces (even just the jumper) around the house to get comfortable. Practice putting on and removing school shoes.

Independence focus: Encourage toileting without help, hand-washing, nose-blowing, and managing belongings. Reception teachers manage 30 children — independence makes the transition smoother.

Manage expectations: Talk positively about school without making it sound like paradise. “You’ll learn new things and make friends, though sometimes it might feel tricky” is more helpful than “You’ll love every minute.”

Summer activities: If your child finishes nursery in July but doesn’t start school until September, maintain some structure through holiday clubs or regular playgroups to prevent complete routine disruption.

For detailed preparation strategies, see our school readiness checklist.

The Critical Role of the Key Person

EYFS statutory framework states: “Each child must be assigned a key person whose role is to help ensure that every child’s care is tailored to meet their individual needs, to help the child become familiar with the setting, offer a settled relationship for the child and build a relationship with their parents.”

During transitions, the key person is central to emotional security.

What Effective Key Persons Do

Build genuine attachment: Going beyond basic care to develop warm, responsive relationships where children feel truly known and valued.

Observe and record: Tracking how the child responds to transitions, what strategies help, and any concerning changes in behaviour or development.

Communicate with parents: Daily informal updates plus structured conversations about transition progress, concerns, and next steps.

Collaborate on strategies: Working with parents to align settling techniques — for example, using the same comfort phrases or goodbye routines at home and nursery.

Advocate for the child: Ensuring transition timing and approach suit the individual child, not just administrative convenience.

Provide continuity: Serving as the secure base from which the child explores, the safe haven to return to when overwhelmed.

When Key Person Relationships Change

If your child’s key person leaves, this represents an additional transition requiring support. Quality nurseries assign a new key person who spends time building the relationship before the original key person departs, where possible.

If you have concerns about your child’s key person relationship, raise them with management promptly. The attachment is too important to leave unaddressed.

Transition Documents and Information Sharing

EYFS encourages (and in some cases requires) information sharing to support continuity.

Progress Check at Age Two

This statutory requirement provides a short written summary of the child’s development in the prime areas (physical development, communication and language, personal, social and emotional development) between ages 24-36 months.

The check must:

• Identify strengths and areas where progress is less than expected
• Describe actions the setting intends to take
• Involve parents in creating the check

This document supports transitions to new rooms or settings around age two, ensuring the new key person understands developmental needs.

Learning Journeys

Most nurseries maintain learning journey records (physical books or digital platforms) showing observations, photos, and development tracking. When transitioning to a new setting, these provide invaluable context about interests, friendships, learning style, and progress.

Always request copies when changing settings. Reception teachers appreciate seeing these records, though they’re not obliged to accept them.

Transition Reports

When children move to school, many nurseries create detailed transition summaries including:

• Developmental progress against EYFS areas
• Interests and motivations
• Friendship groups and social skills
• Any additional needs or concerns
• Effective strategies for supporting the child

All About Me Forms

These parent-completed documents capture essential information: dietary requirements, allergies, sleep routines, comfort strategies, family structure, languages spoken, cultural or religious considerations, and developmental history.

When changing settings, completing thorough all-about-me forms gives the new key person a head start in understanding your child.

When Transitions Don’t Go Smoothly

Most children navigate transitions successfully with good support, but some struggle more than others.

Signs of Transition Difficulty

At nursery/school:

• Persistent distress at drop-off beyond 4-6 weeks
• Withdrawal from activities previously enjoyed
• Regression in toileting, eating, or sleep at setting
• Aggressive behaviour or unusually clingy behaviour with key person

At home:

• Significant sleep disruption
• Eating changes (loss of appetite or comfort eating)
• Regression in developmental skills
• Increased tantrums or emotional outbursts
• Anxiety about nursery/school
• Physical complaints (tummy aches, headaches) without medical cause

When to Seek Additional Support

If difficulties persist beyond 6-8 weeks despite good support, consider:

Setting concerns: Schedule a formal meeting with the manager and key person. Ask about strategies being used, how your child spends their day, and whether additional support is needed.

SENCO involvement: If there are developmental concerns, the Special Educational Needs Coordinator can arrange observations and potentially develop a targeted support plan.

Health visitor or GP: For persistent anxiety, significant regression, or physical symptoms, seek health professional input to rule out underlying issues.

Temperament consideration: Some children have more cautious temperaments requiring longer adjustment periods. This doesn’t indicate a problem but does mean they need patient, consistent support without pressure.

Finding the Right Setting for Smooth Transitions

When choosing a nursery, consider how they approach transitions:

Questions to ask:

• How do you manage the settling-in process?
• Can parents stay during initial sessions?
• How do you assign key persons?
• What’s your approach to room transitions?
• How do you prepare children for school?
• What transition documents do you provide?
• How do you communicate with parents during transitions?

Quality nurseries view transitions as important developmental opportunities requiring thoughtful planning, not administrative tasks to rush through.

Use our nursery search tool to find settings in your area, then explore our guide to choosing a nursery for evaluation criteria.

Final Thoughts

Transitions are inevitable throughout early childhood and beyond. How these early transitions are managed shapes children’s resilience, confidence in facing change, and trust in new relationships.

The combination of warm, responsive key person relationships, gradual transition processes, strong parent-practitioner partnership, and recognition of individual differences creates the conditions for children to navigate change successfully.

With good support, children emerge from transitions not just unharmed but genuinely strengthened — having learned they can cope with change, form new relationships, and trust adults to support them through challenges.

That foundation serves them not just through early years transitions but throughout their educational journey and life.