Facilitating transition times with handicapped preschool children: a comparison between peer-mediated and antecedent prompt procedures.

The team compared two ways to move preschoolers with delays from one activity to the next.

One way used peer buddies to cue the move. The other used quick adult warnings given ahead of time.

They flipped the two methods across three daily transitions and watched which kept kids walking on their own.

Both tricks cut down on adult nagging and got kids walking without hands-on help.

The early adult prompt won every round: less teacher talk, more child-initiated steps.

Collier et al. (1986) showed peer prompts can work, but only for talking during free play. The new study moves the same peer idea to line-up time and finds it weaker than a simple heads-up from the teacher.

Koegel et al. (1992) later proved you can fade teacher help from peer setups, yet the gains stayed in play corners, not in hallway transitions.

Taylor et al. (1993) went further, letting kids judge their own moves and ask for praise. That self-management beat both adult and peer prompts for lasting change.

Together the story reads: peers help social talk, early adult cues win quick transitions, self-monitoring seals the deal for real life.

Next time the class melts down after circle, skip the peer cheerleader. Give a ten-second warning, show the line icon, and watch them walk. If you want the skill to stick outside your room, add the C et al. self-check later.