A transition social story

A transition social story helps someone stop a fun activity while they still want to keep going, using a warning chime and a first-then picture strip. The pieces go into a bin. They are paused, not thrown away. The example is wooden trains, a kitchen chime, and apple slices.

Trains, then apple slices

The Bridge Can Wait in the Bin

I am joining train cars on the rug. The wooden bridge is only half built. In my mind the track is not finished.

A chime means two minutes remain. The chime is a warning. It is not the ending. I can still add a few cars while those minutes pass.

The chime rings a second time. That second ring means the cars go into the green bin. The bin has a lid. The trains wait inside it for another day.

A photo of the train rug is taped beside a photo of apple slices. The rug photo comes first. The apple photo comes after it. The strip does not change because I wish it would.

I drop one car into the bin, then another. Dad drops the bridge in. Helping with the bridge is allowed.

The rug looks bare when the bin is full. Bare is not the same as gone. The green bin is in the closet, and the closet is in the house.

I may yell that I am not done. The yell can be loud. The strip stays trains-then-apples. Yelling does not buy extra bridge time.

Apple slices come next, at the table, even if my face is stormy. After the apples I look at the strip again. Whatever photo is first now is the thing that happens now.

Tomorrow the lid opens and the bridge can grow again. The bin is how we keep the trains safe between today and tomorrow.

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Build the strip before you need it

Use a photo of the activity that is ending beside a photo of what comes next. Print them from the first-then board. Tape the strip at eye height before you announce the stop.

• Pick one chime and no other warning. A kitchen timer or a phrase you never use for anything else.
• Ring it once for "two minutes left," and once for "bin time." If you add another warning, the earlier rings stop meaning anything.
• Put the green bin in the same closet every time. Show the closet on a calm morning so the pause has a known spot.
• The same chime can come before a potty break.
• Let your child move half the pieces and you move the other half.
• Serve the apples immediately. If the apples are delayed, the strip lied.

The CDC says daily schedules help someone move from one activity to another because they take the surprise out of what happens next (Structure and Rules). An ASHA evidence summary of visual supports used by caregivers, including timers and schedules, describes reported gains that included transitions, and it notes the limits of that review (ASHA Evidence Maps). The AAP writes that children do best with routines that are regular and predictable, without becoming so rigid that there is no flex (family routines). Those pages were accessed October 30, 2026.

Gray's writing and the strip do different jobs. The strip shows order. The writing tells the truth about the unfinished bridge and the yell (the 10.2 PDF, accessed October 30, 2026). If you sometimes skip the apples and keep playing, delete that line. A false ending is worse than a short piece.

Other strips are on free tools.

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When endings need more help

A protest at cleanup is common. Call the pediatrician or ask about a therapist if every change of activity brings a long meltdown, if your child hurts themselves when an activity ends, or if you cannot leave the house because stopping play feels impossible. Bring the picture strip to the visit. The chime is not a treatment, and it does not promise the unfinished-bridge feeling will vanish.

FAQ

How do I use a timer to stop play?

Give one warning chime while the activity is still allowed, name the minutes that remain, then give a second chime that means the pieces go in the bin. Skip extra warnings. The next step should not be a surprise. A timer you ignore "just this once" becomes a surprise again.

What is a first-then plan?

Two pictures in order. The first is happening now. The second happens the moment the first one stops. Print one from the first-then board and tape it up before you need it. A plan that appears after the yelling starts is a new demand, not a preview.

What if my child ignores the warning?

Move the pieces with them, calmly, and still serve the next activity. Talking louder does not make the chime more true. If you extend play after the second chime, rewrite the lines to match the extension you actually give.

When should hard transitions be checked by a pediatrician or therapist?

When meltdowns follow almost every ending, when there is self-injury, or when the family is stuck at home because play cannot stop. Also mention sudden changes in sleep. A bin and a chime are a home preview. They are not a full evaluation.