You may still remember your favourite object as a child – a doll, a teddy, a blanket.  Maybe you can remember the feeling of attachment to this object?  The comfort and security you felt when you had it near you, that familiarity and the scent. 

Transitional objects can help a child make the emotional transition from dependence to independence.  They can effectively help in so many situations, whether it is to help with sleep, to provide comfort when your child is upset, or to reassure them when they are apart from you.  It makes them feel as though everything is OK.

How do they help in school? 

For many children, returning to school or starting a new school following the summer holidays can be extremely daunting, especially after spending so long with their parents / carers.  Transitional objects can help children to cope when settling into school and into their new surroundings. They can:

Provide comfort: some children like the feel of the softness and cuddliness of the transitional objects, like how adults find comfort in stroking a household pet. Not all transitional objects are soft toys and blankets, but the comfort and familiarity that children get from them are what all transitional objects have in common.

Provide familiarity: especially when being in a new and unfamiliar environment, having this special object from home that they know, the familiar feel, sight or smell of the object, reminds them of home, their caregiver and helps provide children with a sense of security. 

Represent symbols of their attachment figure: in infancy, children see themselves and their immediate caregiver as one whole. When there is a separation, such as children starting school, this transitional object usually compensates for the absence of the caregiver and child bond and this object will often be instilled with attributes of them.

Form part of a child’s very early imagination: where the child has made a reality out of the transitional object as it essentially represents the child’s caregiver/bond between them.

Helps ease separation anxiety: a transition object can be both something that belongs to a child but also something that belongs to the parent / carer. Having this object nearby or with them helps children as they can touch, smell or even speak to it when they think of their main carer whilst they are away.

What works best in school? 

Transitional objects work best in school if they are unobtrusive and quiet.  If you would like to know more about what objects are acceptable to bring into school, please speak to your class teacher.