separating mom cat from kittens

hello it’s me again! i received a lot of help since the first time i posted on this sub which i’m very thankful for. my next question is how to separate the kittens from mom cat, are there ways to help them slowly transition from being together to being apart or should i just do it?

i separated them for the first time when i fed them today in different rooms, while the kittens did well and started to play right after eating mom cat was restless and didn’t touch her food and started scratching and crying at the door. i let her in the kittens’ room again but after seeing them and cleaning them, she immediately went back out of their room. i’m not really sure what that behavior means 😅

i’m a bit hesitant to start separating them because it’s her first litter that really thrived and my worry is she’s really attached to them. even though she does show signs of tiredness sometimes, she never wants to be away from them. should i just let them have a bit more time together or separate them now so the kittens can start to build independence? we also plan on giving them to their adopters once they reach 9 weeks old (they’re at 7 weeks now) but any advice is super appreciated! thank you so much 🤍