Moving home can be a stressful experience without a doubt. There
may well be lots of excitement because of new opportunities over the horizon
but there will also some major issues to consider. How do you get all your
stuff packed up and moved safely? How are you going to make friends in your new
location? Is it going to be okay?
Of course, the entire process is made a lot more challenging
when you have children involved. Here are some of our top tips in making the
trip from old home to new location go as smoothly as possible when you have
children in tow.
Talk to your children
Adults can generally get their heads around, and cope with, change.
For children, it will be more than just the challenge of packing up and moving
from A to B. Not only could they be losing the friends they’ve made, there’s
the prospect of starting in a new school and beginning over again.
Prior to moving, you need to make sure you talk as much as
possible and get them used to the idea of moving. Of course, a lot will depend
on the age of your children and how much they understand about this big change.
It can often be harder for teenagers because, for example,
they have made long term friendships and have lived in the same place for a
good while. Smaller children tend to have shorter attention spans but you might
want to look out for tell-tale signs that they are stressed out and find a way
to talk these through to put them at ease. Those under five still have a
greater attachment to their parents and are usually the easiest to handle
because they haven’t yet started to develop their own independence.
The good news is that social media and technology means that
friends can remain in contact with each other a lot easier than in the past. It
may not be the perfect solution but it can help, particularly older children,
cope a lot better.
Getting the children involved
It’s important to get children involved with the moving
process and packing up as much as possible. That could involve putting them in
charge of their own room (nominally in the case of younger children!) and
helping with the planning. It will make the feel part of the move and in
control rather than simply having the change thrust upon them. Try to be as
flexible as possible and don’t be too upset if your child suddenly loses
interest and finds something else to do.
For much younger children, having them out of the way while
you pack and prepare to move home can be a lot less stressful. That means you
may need to call on friends and family to look after them while you get
everything done. Even if your children are involved in the move, it’s a great
idea to involve close relatives and family friends to help normalise the
process as well as get that extra needed help.
Getting the children used to the new home and area
Where possible make sure the children have visited the new
home a few times, point out their new room and ask their opinion on where
things should go, what new items will be needed, should you decorate, by
getting them involved they will develop a sense of ownership and hopefully
excitement.
Also, get the children especially the younger ones, used to
the new area by, for example, driving past the new school and exploring the
local amenities to show all the possibilities.
Visiting their new home and area before you move is one way
to start getting your children used to the change.
Try the ‘is that a bird?’ approach once you have moved
Once you have moved, it is good to distract the children from
the thought of having to move by, for example, getting them involved in
activities in the new area or even getting them some new toys to play
with.
Finally, planning, understanding and accepting things not going right
Good planning and plenty of understanding go a long way to
helping things run much smoother when moving home. Don’t expect everything to
go like clockwork, though. That rarely happens with any move. Each child is
different and they’ll react in their own unique way. For some it will be a
worrying time, for others it can be a great adventure.
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