Moving can be difficult enough if you are an adult. If you are a child, however, it can be especially hard. Leaving friends and familiar surroundings, moving to a strange house, attending a new school, and meeting new people all rank high as anxiety-inducing events. There are ways to mitigate the stress for your children. And reducing their anxiety can reduce your stress levels as well. Here are a few suggestions.
1. Don’t Keep It a Secret
Do not hide your move from your children. Nobody likes an unpleasant surprise. If you can get ahead of things, moving does not have to be unpleasant. As soon as you know you are moving, sit your kids down and talk with them about the move. Let them know what is going on and listen to their concerns. You may be able to prevent fears from getting out of hand if you can address them right away rather than giving them a chance to build.
2. Let Them Be Involved in Planning
Get your kids involved in planning. This can help to get them excited about the move. If you have a couple of different houses from which to choose, let them offer their input. You can tour houses online and discuss with them the particular merits and problems with each one. If you have decided on a house, plan their new rooms.
3. Let Them Be Involved in Preparations
There are a ton of things to get done when you are moving. Let your kids help out by being responsible for some of their things. They can be involved in shedding some of their things in preparation for the move. Let them help decide what toys to keep and what to get rid of. Getting rid of things might be easier if they get to decide what to do with those things. Let them decide what should be donated to charity or given to friends, what should be tossed and what can be sold. In fact, having a moving sale and then using that money for something fun can be an enticement to get rid of things they no longer use.
4. Learn About the New Place
You can begin learning about your new town before you move there. Go online to find out what sorts of attractions your new town holds. Talk about the events and activities you can be involved in after moving. Look at the school district’s website so that they can see their new schools and read up on the neighborhood highlights.
5. Take a Tour
If you can go up before you move or arrive a day or two ahead of your things, it can give you a chance to look at your new town. Visit the library and your new house; walk around your new neighborhood and visit the kids’ school. Also, plan some fun activities like visiting a local attraction or dinner at a kid-friendly restaurant.
6. Have a See You Soon Party
One of the most difficult things about moving is leaving friends behind. Before you leave to have a “See You Soon” party. They can have fun with friends, gather contact information and plan visits with one another.
7. Hire a Sitter on Moving Day
On the day of your move, Cheap Movers Atlanta – cheapmoversatlanta.com – recommends hiring a sitter or asking a friend or family member to watch your kids off-site. Kids might feel stressed or anxious as they see the moving crew emptying the house, and your moving company will appreciate not having small children running around while they try to work.
8. Let Them Help Unpack
While you’re busy unpacking the kitchen, put your kids to work helping unpack their rooms. Let them open up the boxes of books and toys and take a stab at putting things away on their own. While they might need a little guidance, letting them help decide where everything goes gives them ownership of their room.
Moving can be especially scary if you are a child. Letting them know what is happening and helping them to get excited about moving to a new place can allay their fears. Let these suggestions give you some ideas how to make the transition easier for your children