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How to Prepare Your Kids for Relocating

Deciding to move is a big deal for any family but especially for a household with children. Everyone understands and processes change differently so there is no “one-size-fits-all” when it comes to formulating a plan to make moving easier on your kids. Your children will react differently depending on their age and personality; you must respect their feelings and their emotional process. Here are 5 ways to help to make moving easier for your family for you to try. 

1. Have A Family Meeting

Have a family meeting to ensure that you are all on the same page about your relocation. Your children must understand that it is not a punishment and that they haven’t done anything wrong. If your relocation is because of finances, don’t project your stress onto your children – instead make them focus on the exciting opportunity of starting a whole new chapter in a new place. Allow your children to be part of this by letting them help pick out a house from the wide selection of Daybreak homes.

2. Get Them Excited

As stressful as moving house is, especially during a pandemic, you need to get the kids on board with the entire of relocating. They are going to have their fears and doubts and as a parent, it is your job to reassure them that everything will be great. Please note I didn’t just say “fine” – you need to work on getting your kids excited about all of the opportunities they will have in their new home and neighborhood. Get them to think about all the fun and exciting times ahead. If they have something to look forward to then they will be excited about the move.

3. Make Your Children Feel Included

If your children feel like they are not in control of a situation, they could act out. The last thing you want when dealing with the stress and pressure of orchestrating a move is to then also have to deal with tantrums and upset kids. You can make the move easier on your kids and ultimately your whole family by including them in smaller decisions like which room to pack and what to take with you. Give your children three boxes each, one for stuff they want to donate to the less fortunate, one for the items that are to be thrown away, and one for the things they want to keep.

4. Respect Their Feelings

Your children will experience understandable levels of angst when it comes to moving house, they are going to need to grieve the loss of the home they know, the neighborhood they know, and the friends they know. Be understanding of their feelings and how difficult it is for them to make this seismic change. It is also important to know that it can take your child up to six months to settle into their new life, so be patient – even after moving day.

5. Stick To Your Normal Schedule

One of the most effective ways to make moving easier on the kids is to make sure your stick to your normal routine/schedule – if dinner is at 7 pm then keep dinner at 7 pm, even when you’re crazy busy packing etc. This will help keep their sense of normalcy and comfort, the more at ease they are, the easier moving will be on all of you.
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