My child has difficulty when it comes to ending one activity and moving on to another.

Everyone has trouble ending something they’re enjoying and starting something that maybe doesn’t seem that “fun”. 

While there may be different reasons for why people struggle to transition between activities or tasks, there are also a variety of ways to address this struggle. 

The use of priming is one of the strategies that can be used to address this problem.

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What is priming?

The term priming is used when you give your child a “warning” about remaining time for a current activity, or when the next transition is taking place. 

Why should I prime?

Priming can increase the chances of your child successfully ending a current activity and moving on to the next event. 

When you prime, you are activity preparing your child that a potentially preferred activity is ending and that something else is coming up. No one likes surprises (well not undesired ones at least).

Some examples of when you may use priming:

• Transitioning between activities
• Changes in the schedule
• When a task needs to be started
• When entering a new environment

How do I use priming?

You can use this when you think a transition ending an activity, or simply moving on to the next thing will be difficult for your child.

There are different ways to use priming, some of which are:

• Timers: using a timer (visual or noise when done) can help the child to see when exactly the current activity will be done.
• Verbal countdowns can be helpful for transitions that are about to take place.
• Having materials that are needed for the next event out and ready to go. 
• Verbal reminders can help begin to warn about current activities ending to eliminate surprises. 
• Visual schedules can help to allow the child to see what event is happening next.

Take Aways

The strategy of priming can be a useful tool for parents to use when their child may have difficulties ending one activity and moving to another. 

There are different methods to use for priming that include, but not limited to:

• Visual schedules
• Timers
• Verbal countdowns
• New material out and ready to go to facilitate the transition

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