What are cognitive transitions?

Cognitive transitions are when your brain switches from one thought or task to another, like changing channels on a TV.

Imagine you're playing with your favorite toy, let's say it’s a dinosaur. You’re pretending it’s roaring and chasing cars. Suddenly, someone calls your name, and you stop playing to go hug them. That moment when you go from pretending to hugging is a cognitive transition.

Think of your brain like a house with different rooms, each room is for a different activity: one room for play, one for eating, and one for listening to stories. When you move from the playroom to the storytime room, that’s a transition. Your brain has to turn off the play music and put on the storytime lights.

Sometimes transitions are easy, like when you know it's time for dinner. But other times, they can feel confusing, especially if your brain is still in the playroom and you're asked to do math homework all of a sudden!

So, cognitive transitions help your brain move from one idea or activity to another, just like moving from one room to another in your house.