Is your child about to embark on a transition either from home to childcare or kinder to school? The new year often brings new locations and experiences for our children. There is a level of uncertainty as they are separated from their security blanket of mum and dad potentially for the first time. It’s emotional for everyone involved, more so for our children. We like to think children are adaptable and will naturally embrace new situations and surroundings. But, all too often that doesn’t happen. There is a range of emotions that come with new surroundings and people, your child is having a normal and natural reaction.

This week on the podcast I speak with Dr. Kathryn Hackman, MBBS PhD FRACP, is a mother and the Founder of Courageous Kids. She’s been through the struggle of tricky drop offs, and knows she’s not alone, given that anxiety affects 1 in 9 children. Kathryn shares effective and practical strategies to combat separation anxiety in a fuss-free form, that helps busy parents set their kids up for success with new experiences.

Kathryn didn’t understand what a transition was and the impacts until she became a mum. You may be wondering – what is a transition? To clarify, it is when you go from one environment to another. For children starting childcare, kinder or school, drop off is not as simple as drop and go. Separation is a big factor for children through these key transition phases. Taking a proactive approach through play and storytelling, this can help children become familiar with their new teachers and educators and be a positive transition experience.

A good analogy is our first day of a new job – we are anxious due to new surroundings, a new team, new processes, the uncertainty of the people you will work with and the list goes on. Our children are no different. They are anxious through the transition phase of kinder to school or home to childcare, just like we are on our first day of work.

In this episode we chat about:

• Strategies to help build familiarity and trust with your child’s educators or carers
• The power of storytelling and play to create familiarity
• Why the emotional preparation for the transition is more important than the physical
• Tips on when and how to manage transitions
• Transitions aren’t just education based, they happen in all areas of our lives
• Why preparation is key to managing transitions
• and much more!

This is a great episode with easy-to-implement strategies to support you in managing transitions in your child’s life.

For more information about Kathryn and the Courageous Kids app,, go to the website www.courageouskidsapp.com or follow on Instagram @courageouskidsapp

Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and if you would be able to leave a rating and review that would be greatly appreciated.

Photo credit: Star News Group