Like everyone else, children can feel the effects of a move’s upheaval. As a parent or caregiver, you can take steps to make your upcoming household move more exciting than scary. By listening to and acknowledging their feelings and telling them what to expect, you can help your child feel better about relocating. Here’s what to know about helping your child through their relocation.
1. Take Time to Listen and Acknowledge Their Feelings
Your child may have mixed feelings about leaving home and friends and relocating to a new community. Listening to your child and acknowledging their feelings can help your child feel less alone with these feelings.
Take time to talk to your child about how they’re adjusting. Do quiet activities together (baking, playing games) and ask your child questions while you’re doing it. Ask about their feelings about leaving their old neighborhood, their new home, and their feelings about leaving their friends. If your child doesn’t want to talk, that’s fine. Don’t push them to say things they don’t want to say, but set aside time when they could easily talk to you if they wanted to.
2. Let Your Child Pick Their Room or Style
Help your child get excited about moving to their new house by allowing them to pick their new room. You can still select your primary bedroom, but give your child the option of any other bedrooms in the house. If those options are limited, let them pick a style, theme, or color for their new bedroom.
3. Tell Your Kids What to Expect
Your child will feel better about the relocation if they know what’s coming and when. Communicate with your child about your relocation. Tell your child when the relocation will occur when you’ll start packing, when the moving truck is coming, and other details. Consider marking a calendar that your child has access to so they can see what’s coming in the future. Make it an exciting countdown.
If your child will need to leave school midway through the year, you’ll want to communicate even more. This may be stressful for your child. Giving your child a chance to see their new school, sharing with them about their new teacher, and providing them with other information as they request will help your child feel better prepared for the change.
4. Resume your Routine
After you relocate, try your best to resume your regular schedule quickly. Restoring meals, snacks, naps, and bedtimes becomes more routine. Remember the fun rituals your children enjoy, like bedtime stories, reading time, popcorn and movie night, or evening strolls. Those daily things are what make a house feel like a home.
5. Take Care of Your Needs to Ensure You Can Care For Your Child
Remember to take care of yourself by getting enough sleep and eating well throughout your relocation. Taking care of yourself will help you maintain a positive attitude about your upcoming move, and that will help you find the energy you need to help your child through this challenging time.
Work With the Pros
The less time you spend dealing with your relocation, the more time you can spend helping your child with the realities of moving. Work with an excellent moving company to make this happen. Contact us today to schedule your relocation with a reputable and trustworthy moving company.