A Memorable Memorial Day continued

Word from the wise:  It is always a good idea to give your toddlers warnings about when the fun will be ending.  Transitions can be hard for little children.  I choose to use warnings that include time but one could easily substitute activities for smaller children.  Say something like "we are going to go after your next slide" or "It is time to go, one more slide before we go.  That way children have time to process the transition or negotiate a little more time. If you know you have a negotiator, build that into your transition time. It also helps them to transition when you give them something to transition to that is positive for them.  Once in the car, I told my girls that we would go home, take a bath, eat dinner and have a Fruit by the Foot. Only then did my 3 year old begin to recover from leaving the playground.