9 Important Tips In Preparing Kids To Move
Even when it’s a great move, moving is difficult for everyone. It’s even more distressing for kids because it’s seldom their idea, and children frequently feel powerless.
Here is a list of 12 recommendations to assist youngsters in getting ready for relocation. You may not follow all of them, but they will add to the contents of your toolkit.
These recommendations for getting kids ready to move also apply to teens and adults.
- Prepare them in advance.
Tell the kids as soon as reasonably practicable that you’re thinking about moving. Some folks are concerned that this may cause them unnecessary distress. This risk is lower than the risk of a youngster feeling helpless and excluded from decision-making.
Sharing the reasons for the decision and the procedure used to make it might help children develop their abilities to make difficult decisions and learn how to weigh the benefits and drawbacks.
Once you’ve decided, give them a printed schedule of when the existing house will be put on the market, if that’s the situation. Discuss also when you’ll visit the new location, when you’ll pack, and where you’ll stay during the transition. It would be helpful also to talk about when they’ll start new schools and anything else you can think of.
Be truthful. Kids, especially gifted ones, handle honesty better than deception, and they perceive selective sharing of information as lying.
But if you have a strong reason not to provide specifics ahead of time (for example, job security), tell them why.
- Give them as many options as possible.
Allow children to make many decisions because they feel helpless in this situation.
- Is it possible for them to choose which toys to leave out?
- Is it possible for them to pick their own room? What is the colour of the paint?
- Is it possible for them to name the new house?
- Can they take part in real estate agent interviews?
- Can they contribute to the “must-have” list for the new home?
Watch some house-hunting shows with your kids to show them that sacrifices are inevitable.
If cash is tight, be upfront about it. If your finances aren’t in order, there’s no point in pretending everything is alright.
- A bloom-where-you-are-planted mentality is a great model to follow.
Set a good example. Make it clear how you intend to adjust to the new situation, but not in a preachy way.
Tell them how you intend to create new acquaintances. Discuss how you will go about joining new groups.
Share your own conflicted emotions with the family. Just because you’re blooming where you’re planted doesn’t mean weeds aren’t sprouting nearby.
- Seek advice.
You don’t have to wait until you’re in a crisis to seek help.
A visit to a therapist may be a terrific preventative step during the moving process. It can also make it easier for kids to be receptive to seeing a counsellor if there are issues that need professional help after the move.
- Create memorable moments.
It’s critical to assist children in creating memories that they may transfer with them to the new home. Images and movies can be beneficial.
Create a list of the ten best reasons you enjoy living in your current location. Make a photo book of your favourite spots inside and outside the house.
It’s also a great idea to leave a film for the next family detailing all of your home’s and neighbourhood’s wonders and mysteries.
- Make a connection ahead of time.
Make contacts now, rather than waiting till the relocation. You may not know the school yet, but you might be able to find organizations, children’s museums, dance courses, and other activities similar to those in your current location.
Social media can be a terrific place to meet other parents who share your interests. If you belong to a Facebook group, post that you’re relocating to a new area and ask if anybody knows anyone who lives there.
Look up top activities for children in the neighbourhood on the internet, and let your kids choose the ones they want to go to. Check to see if any of the locations provide virtual field trips.
- Encourage them to write in their journals.
Journaling is a fantastic way for youngsters to keep track of their emotions, both happy and negative. Respect your kids’ privacy by not reading their journals.
There’s no need for anything extravagant. Simply take out a spiral or blank book and begin writing. Allow children to customize a cover image with a photograph or drawing of their house.
- Include them in the planning process.
Kids often enjoy organizing projects, so allowing them to look for moving organization suggestions might be a great way to divert some of their moving-related enthusiasm. Being a part of the actual planning of the relocation can make the whole affair more pleasant.
Some children may enjoy making a Pinterest board or a notepad with ideas for you. Take their suggestions carefully and try to implement as many as possible. This isn’t a problem because they’ll most likely come up with some good ideas.
- Respect their anguish.
It is a loss to relocate. Leaving one’s home, as well as friends, family, church, schools, and even neighbourhood shops and playgrounds can feel like death.
Recognizing that children are grieving and allowing them to go through the mourning process without continuously making them happy recognizes that suffering.
Sharing the phases of grieving with your child might be beneficial. Even keeping a list of them on the refrigerator might help kids identify and label their emotions.
One sure way to lessen the hassles of moving is to hire a company like Adlam Transport. We can guarantee that our Perth furniture removalist service is the best you will ever experience. We have experts who will take care of all your moving needs.