What are gradual shifts?

Gradual shifts are when something changes slowly over time, like a snail moving across the ground.

Imagine you have a cup of hot chocolate on the table. At first, it's steaming and warm, but as minutes pass, it starts to feel just right, then cool, and finally room temperature. That’s a gradual shift, the temperature is changing little by little until it feels completely different from when you started.

Think of a slide at the park. If you jump down all at once, it's fast and exciting! But if you slowly slide down inch by inch, it feels calm and steady. That slow slide is like a gradual shift, things are changing, but not all in one go.

Another example is the change of seasons. One day it’s spring, then summer comes, and before you know it, it's autumn and winter. But if you watch closely, each season brings small changes, leaves getting bigger, days getting longer or shorter, and the air feeling warmer or cooler.

Gradual shifts are like that, they're slow, steady, and sometimes hard to notice until they’re all done!