Before young students can start using transitional words properly, they need to be able to identify them in written works. Give your students a short piece or essay to read quietly. Have them highlight or underline all the transitional words they can find. Go through the essay together and discuss each transitional word, making sure you ask students what each transitional word's function is. Direct students to those transitional words that they missed in their own reading.
Part of using transitional words in writing is being able to think of transitional words that are available. As a class, have students generate all the transitional words that come to mind. Write them on the board. Have students separate the transitional words into categories based on their functions, such as comparison, contrast, exemplification, sequence, restatement or anything else. Make a final list of categories and transitional words and have students copy it down for future use.
Transitional words can be added to an existing piece of prose to make it flow more smoothly. Write a paragraph or short essay that contains few or no transitional words. Distribute it to your students and have them insert a transitional word wherever they feel one is necessary. Let them use the list of transitional words that your class has generated. For very young children, do the exercise together on the board or an overhead projector.
Ultimately, students learn about transitional words so that they can use them in their own writing. Have your young students write a piece, whether it be a descriptive essay, a creative story or anything else. Stipulate a certain number of transitional words that they must integrate into their prose. Let students exchange writing with each other once they are finished. Students can look for proper use of transitional words in their classmates' writing.