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Undergoing transitions
What are transitions?
Building a good relationship with our child
- Why is it important?
- How can we do it?
Supporting our child through transitions
- Helping them cope with transitions
- Helping them cope with stress from transitions
Useful resources to help our child
Mental health services

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Undergoing transitions

As our child grows, they may face many changes; be it entering a new class, learning new subjects, or making new friends. Dealing with change can be difficult and they might find themselves unable to handle emotions brought about by these transitions.

As these changes may become a source of stress, worry, or frustration that affects their mental and physical health, it is important for us, as parents, to help our child adjust.

Read on to find out more about how we can support our child in coping with the transitions and its effects.

Learn about life changes young children experience and how to support and guide them through growing up challenges

What are transitions?

Transitions are events and situations that result in changes to our lives such as in our relationships, routines, or roles.

We can find out more about the common transitions our child experiences here.

Common life changes children face include going to a new school, making new friends, taking new subjects and moving to a new home

Why is building a good
relationship important?

As our child slowly understands the world around them, it is important to build a positive relationship
with them and provide them with a supportive home environment. Through this, we can help them:

Gain a better grasp of their environment

Buffer the stresses they experience
during transitions

Better navigate various challenges

Why is building a good relationship important?

How can we build a relationship
with them?

Spend quality time with them

Spend quality time with our child to be in tune with what is going on with them. This shows them that we care about them and allows both our child and us to get to know about each other’s experiences, thoughts, feelings, and changing interests.

To do this, we can try setting aside a part of the week (or day) to have regular one-on-one time with our child. If we have more than one child, spend time with each of them individually where possible.

Be attentive to what they say

By giving our full attention when they speak, we show our child that we are present with them. We can also be in tune with what is going on in their lives by asking them about their friends, teachers, the activities they did in school, and how they are coping in school. We may also explore the different options they have for their future with them and offer them advice or guidance where appropriate.

Be generous with praise

To help our child feel good about themselves, we can compliment them for their achievements and positive behaviours, no matter how small these may be. When we reward them for doing something right, it helps them grow to be a confident adult in the future.

Encourage problem-solving and independence

We can entrust our child with manageable tasks to complete by themselves such as letting them choose which storybook to read, what outfit to wear, or where to go during weekend family outings. Start with two options to avoid confusing our young child with too many choices, increasing the options as they grow older.

Support their efforts to overcome the challenges when they face difficulties and praise them when they complete tasks successfully. We can also discuss with them about what they could do differently in the future.

Helping them cope with transitions

The changes caused by transitions could disrupt our child’s routines as well as their feelings of familiarity, comfort, and security.

To deal with the transitions, our child may need to step out of their comfort zone, relearn things, and even manage their own expectations.

Here are some ways we can help them cope:

Create a safe and supportive home environment

Encourage them to be kind to themselves

Guide them in preparing for change

Help them develop a consistent routine

Guide them in setting small goals

Tap to
reveal more

Helping them cope with stress
from transitions

As going through transitions can be very stressful, it is important that our child learns to cope with it.

Read on for some ways we can help our child identify and manage such stress and emotions.

Look out for signs of stress in our child

Having stress is normal and our body telling us that there is a challenge or opportunity that needs to be addressed. Although stress is often misunderstood as being simply bad, a manageable dose of stress is good as it can motivate our child to work towards their goals.

When stress becomes overwhelming, it will affect our child’s well-being negatively. Sometimes, they might not notice when they are feeling stressed but there are some common signs we can look for, including:

Trembling

Poor concentration

Withdrawing from social activities

Excessive worrying

When we notice signs of stress, we should refrain from brushing them off as they can be indicators of our child’s mental well-being.

If they have trouble coping with stress, we can reach out to our child directly or encourage them to reach out to friends or trusted adults for support. We can also click here to learn some tips on helping our child cope with stress.

Encourage them to practise self-care

Self-care involves our child taking breaks to do what they love, which can include going for a short walk, reading a book, or even taking a nap. They can also spend time with friends and the people they care about to alleviate some of their stress.

Look out for signs of stress in our child

Trembling

Poor concentration

Withdrawing from social activities

Excessive worrying

Encourage them to practise self-care

Discover more stress-busting tips here.

Useful self-help tools

Choose what you’d like to read

Undergoing transitions
What are transitions?
Building a good relationship with our child
- Why is it important?
- How can we do it?
Supporting our child through transitions
- Helping them cope with transitions
- Helping them cope with stress from transitions
Useful resources to help our teen
Mental health services

Back
to list < /> Next >

Undergoing transitions

During their teenage years, our teens experience key changes such as puberty, entering new schools and graduation. Through these transitions, they learn to take on new responsibilities, develop independence, and form their identity.

While this can be intimidating and unfamiliar for our teen, it is also an exciting time for them to gain new experiences.

As parents or caregivers, we can help our teen navigate changes and overcome difficulties faced during these transitions. Read on to find out more.

Learn about life changes your teenager experiences and how to support them in their teenage years as they deal with teenage angst

What are transitions?

Transitions are events and situations that result in changes to our lives such as in our relationships, routines, or roles.

We can find out more about the common transitions our teen experiences here.

Common life changes teens face include puberty and school challenges such changing secondary schools and starting new courses

Why is building a good
relationship important?

Our relationship with them can play an important role as they go through the changes and challenges of being a teen.
When our relationship with our teen is positive, they will:

Be less prone to feeling overwhelmed or stressed

Be more likely to share their
problems with us

Be able to better manage their emotions
to cope with challenges from transitions

How can we build a relationship
with them?

Be sensitive to physical changes during puberty

As our teen goes through puberty and experiences physical changes, they might become sensitive and conscious of their appearance and people’s perception of them.

We could be sensitive with our comments on their body and dressing. Try to refrain from pointing out anything different about them as it would draw attention to their physical changes. Instead, give them the opportunity to develop at their own pace and reassure them that what they are going through is normal.

Explore their interests with them

Take an active interest in what our teen is doing and learn more about things that they like. This is the most direct way to show our teen that we care and will help to create more opportunities for conversation.

Remain calm

If our teen behaves rudely, we could take a moment to cool down and resume the conversation only when we are feeling calmer. While these moments can be frustrating, try to avoid raising our voice as it only makes matters worse.

If we find ourselves unable to do so, try to take a step back and ask ourselves what our teen might have been trying to communicate to us. They might have a point that they were unable to express clearly, so think of ways to teach them more effective communication skills.

Understand where they are coming from

Teenage years are a time of change and new challenges. It is normal for our teens to face confusion and angst along the way. When we try to understand their frustrations and where they are coming from, we provide them with a source of comfort and counsel.

Respect them as how we would want them to respect us

Respect is a two-way street, and mutual respect will help maintain healthy relationships in the family. As our teens may be trying to learn how to be independent, keep in mind that the freedom and responsibilities we give them should be age appropriate.

Giving our teens their privacy, treating them like young adults, and respecting their choices while still holding them responsible for their actions can build mutual respect between us and our teen.

Helping them cope with transitions

The changes caused by transitions can disrupt our teen’s routines as well as their feelings of familiarity, comfort, and security.

To deal with the transitions, our teen may need to step out of their comfort zone, relearn things, and even manage their own expectations.

Here are some ways we can help them cope with transitions:

Encourage them to be kind to themselves

Guide them in preparing for change

Help them set realistic expectations

Help them develop a consistent routine

Remind them to keep an open mind

Guide them in setting small goals

Tap to
reveal more

Helping them cope with stress
from transitions

As going through transitions can be very stressful, it is important that our teen learns to cope with it.

Read on for some ways we can help our teen identify and manage such stress and emotions.

Look out for signs of stress in our teen

Having stress is normal and is our body telling us that there is a challenge or opportunity that needs to be addressed. Although stress is often misunderstood as being simply bad, a manageable dose of stress is good as it can motivate our teen to work towards their goals.

When stress becomes overwhelming, it will affect our teen’s well-being negatively. Sometimes, they might not notice when they are feeling stressed but there are some common signs we can look for, including:

Trembling

Poor concentration

Withdrawing from social activities

Excessive worrying

When we notice signs of stress, we should refrain from brushing them off as they can be indicators of our teen’s mental well-being.

If they have trouble coping with stress, we can reach out to our teen directly or encourage them to reach out to friends or trusted adults for support. We can also click here to learn some tips on helping our teen cope with stress.

Encourage them to practise self-care

Self-care involves our teen taking breaks to do what they love, which can include going for a short walk, reading a book, or even taking a nap. They can also spend time with friends and the people they care about to alleviate some of their stress.

Look out for signs of stress in our teen

Trembling

Poor concentration

Withdrawing from social activities

Excessive worrying

Encourage them to practise self-care

Discover more stress-busting tips here.

Useful self-help tools

References

CONTRIBUTED BY

Health Promotion Board

MindSG

Undergoing transitions

What are transitions?

Why is building a good relationship important?

How can we build a relationship with them?

Spend quality time with them

Be attentive to what they say

Be generous with praise

Encourage problem-solving and independence

Helping them cope with transitions

Create a safe and supportive home environment

Encourage them to be kind to themselves

Guide them in preparing for change

Help them develop a consistent routine

Guide them in setting small goals

Helping them cope with stressfrom transitions

Look out for signs of stress in our child

Trembling

Poor concentration

Withdrawing from social activities

Excessive worrying

Encourage them to practise self-care

Look out for signs of stress in our child

Trembling

Poor concentration

Withdrawing from social activities

Excessive worrying

Encourage them to practise self-care

Useful self-help tools

Mental health services

Undergoing transitions

What are transitions?

Why is building a good relationship important?

How can we build a relationship with them?

Be sensitive to physical changes during puberty

Explore their interests with them

Remain calm

Understand where they are coming from

Respect them as how we would want them to respect us

Helping them cope with transitions

Encourage them to be kind to themselves

Guide them in preparing for change

Help them set realistic expectations

Help them develop a consistent routine

Remind them to keep an open mind

Guide them in setting small goals

Helping them cope with stressfrom transitions

Look out for signs of stress in our teen

Trembling

Poor concentration

Withdrawing from social activities

Excessive worrying

Encourage them to practise self-care

Look out for signs of stress in our teen

Trembling

Poor concentration

Withdrawing from social activities

Excessive worrying

Encourage them to practise self-care

Useful self-help tools

Mental health services

Why is building a good
relationship important?

How can we build a relationship
with them?

Helping them cope with stress
from transitions

Why is building a good
relationship important?

How can we build a relationship
with them?

Helping them cope with stress
from transitions