A New Home: 4 Tips for Preparing Your Children To Move
Moving to a new home can feel exciting and scary, specifically for kids. Make the process a bit easier with these tips for preparing your child to move.
Moving is rough at any age, and it can feel earth-shattering for kids. Children form their first friendships in these early years, and moving to a new neighborhood means saying goodbye. That sadness is heartbreaking to a parent. Make moving easier for the entire household with these tips for preparing your children to move.
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Talk About the Changes
Before you go house shopping, sit down with your children and talk about the major life transitions. The sooner you do this, the better. Change is rough for kids, but a conversation based on compassion and understanding makes it easier.
For example, rather than say “you’ll make new friends,” talk about ways they can keep in touch with current ones while forming new relationships. Telling them they’ll make new friends can feel frustrating or make them fear loneliness at a new school.
Visit the New House
Once you buy a house, bring your children with you to check it out, especially their new bedrooms. This can make a move feel more exciting and give your kids something to look forward to rather than dread. Now is also the time to start drawing up ideas for decorating their bedrooms.
They may want it to look like their current room or something completely different. Give your child as much power over these decisions as possible so they can maintain some control over the situation.
Pack Together
Packing up the current house is a bittersweet task, but you can relish old memories when you do it together. Sit with your little ones as they go through belongings in their rooms and help them sort out what they’ll bring. Unwanted items like old toys, books, and clothing don’t have to go with you but rather to someone in need; donating old belongings is one of the best ways to help charities near you.
Working together makes the process a bit easier for your children. Doing it all by themselves can feel stressful, but if you take over, they may feel a lack of control. Tackling the task of packing up the house as a family gets everyone involved and reminds kids that no matter where you are, you’ll always support one another.
Help Them Make a Plan
The final tip for moving to a new home with kids is to develop a few plans together. For starters, think of ways to keep in contact with friends. Having a pen pal to write letters with is always fun. Thanks to technology, your kids can also do video chats or play age-appropriate games online with their friends.
You’ll also want to create a plan to help your kids feel prepared for the new house. Young children may benefit most from a special bag packed with everything they’ll need those first few nights as you unpack. Load up their favorite stuffed animal, book, and other comfort essentials. Moving doesn’t mean goodbye, but instead, see you later.
