April 1, 2017 - 5 Ways to Help Your Kids Adjust to a New Location

5 Ways to Help Your Kids Adjust to a New Location

Moving can be a long and difficult process. When your children are involved, things seem to become even more complicated. Here are 5 ways to help your children adjust to the challenges of moving:

Properly Prepare: Emphasize the Excitement of Moving

One of the biggest mistakes that parents make in preparation for a move is a lack of preparation. Moving to a new community involves much more than finding a home and a job. Helping kids adjust requires special attention. Including your child in the moving process can be essential – have them make to-do lists and pack items in order to feel helpful and needed. Talk to them about their feelings and concerns. Often, your child will look to your example, and if you are angry or upset, they will be too. Stay positive despite setbacks – this is an exciting new adventure for all of you.

Establish Familiar Routines

Children especially benefit from continuing the normal day-to-day structure of their lives. Unpack their items as soon as possible. Help them decorate their new rooms so they can have a place of comfort. Bring back their normal mealtimes, bedtimes, and play times. During this period of such big change, your children have an urgent need to know that they have others they can count on for comfort and support.

Maintain Contact with The Old Community

If they wish, help your children uphold their previous friendships. Throw a going-away party. Write letters and make phone calls. If possible, even go back and visit. Find ways to stay involved in the old community while slowly integrating the new community into their lives. Make the transition easy and gentle. Despite the fact that your family has moved, your children don’t need to break their previous ties in order to form new ones.

Explore What the New Community Has to Offer

Get involved. Have your children participate in after-school activities to help adjust to the new community. Visit the local cultural landscapes and go out of your way to get to know your neighbors. If your child played soccer before the move, find a local soccer league in your new community. If your child used to take art classes, find a new studio. School can be especially intimidating and scary. Meet with their teachers and principal and get a tour of the school prior to starting. Find restaurants and activities in the new area that are exciting and fun for your child.

Be Patient: It Takes Time

A move can be difficult on everyone. One of the most important things a parent can do is to be patient with their children and to be patient with themselves. As a parent, you need to feel supported as much as a child does. Take this time to come closer as a family and to strengthen your relationships. If things don’t go according to plan, be flexible. It takes time.
For more help with your move, contact Redman Van today.