With our recent move, we thought a lot about how to help the girls transition to a new city. Here are some ways you can help your kids through a move.
1. Tell your kids about your upcoming move far enough in advance to allow them time to adjust to the idea and tell their friends good-bye. Kids need closure just like adults so don’t blindside them days before the move.
2. Be open to your kids’ feelings. Allow them to grieve leaving their known environment.
3. Have your child make a scrapbook with pictures of things important to your child from the city you are leaving… some of these things might include pictures of friends, your family home, church, and school.
4. Encourage your kids’ adventurous spirit by getting them excited about your new city. One way you can do this is by including them on house hunting trips and scheduling fun things to do in between house showings.
5. If you have the chance, visit their new school while it’s still in session. Talk to the principal and teacher about having your child attend for a day. Ask if you can bring in cookies or cupcakes to make the visitation day special.
6. Let them help decorate their new room by picking paint colors and furniture arrangement.
7. Try to find one or two kids from your child’s class who you can invite over for a play date. Make sure to have planned activities so the kids can get to know each other… games, baking, science experiments, scavenger hunts, etc. That way you don’t have two little kids staring at each other wondering what to do.
8. Sign them up for VBS, area camps, or sports teams so they can get to know other kids their age in their community.
9. Talk to other mothers you meet to see if anyone else has recently moved into the area. These families tend to be more receptive to new friends since they are also trying to get established.
I know some of you have moved often. Leave a comment with your best moving tips so we can all benefit.
(c) 2016 Leighann Marquiss
Comments (4)
There is a great book in “The Kissing Hand” series about moving and how sad Chester is to leave his tree. We moved when our daughter was 4.5 and it was a help since we had been reading The Kissing Hand for a while before we moved.
You are a great mom…and those were great tips!
I dragged my feet when I had to move from Colorado to Kansas…but it was the best thing we ever did! So many blessings here.
I pray that God will greatly bless you in your new town!
Love, Linda
THank you for the tips! We are looking at a BIG move in about a year and while we have moved before – we have never moved with children! For us, it will be like a homecoming, but it will be totally new for them. Thank you for the suggestions as we will definitely be making a scrapbook of people and places and also looking at a couple of other ideas to help with this transition.
We moved over 10 times with three children….a military family. We eased moving angst by letting the children know as soon as possible where we were moving to. Then we researched our new area, looking for places and activities that appealed to each child…zoos, aquariums, sporting venues, museums, parks, etc.
Computers have made this kind of search so easy, but there is something magical about getting snail mail when you are a child.(or at any age actually.) Send for info about attractions in your new area from the Chamber of Commerce or triple A, in your child’s name. When the mail arrives,sit down together and look at the brochures the places send. Talk about some of the things you’d all like to do. It helps build good anticipation< and also teaches some researching skills. When you arrive in your new place, don’t put off the first trips to places you researched because you are too busy. A few hours off from unpacking are more than worthwhile. This has worked well for us as a family. Enjoy your new home, and your new city!