5 Tips For Moving With Children
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Moving and saying good-bye to a place you’ve called home can be both exciting and scary, especially for children. Yet when children are involved in the move, you have an opportunity to bond with your child that is like no other.
When thinking about your move, consider your children and carefully prepare them for your move.
To make your move with children as stress-free as possible, consider these tips.
Communicate Early, Communicate Often
Moving into a new home brings questions unique to children. You may wonder if they will like the new home, enjoy the neighborhood, and find it a place that they feel at home.
The best way to understand what’s going through your child’s mind is to openly communicate with them. Bring them into the conversation about what the move means for your family, how your family will be better because of the move, and introduce them to their new community.
Involve your children in the conversation about your move as soon as possible. The more time your children have to think about your move, the more likely they will be to accept it with easy making your move a better experience for all.
Moving into a new home brings with it a lot of emotions, particularly for families moving with children. Excitement and enthusiasm are coupled with anxiety and apprehension as to whether children will take to the new home and neighborhood. Carefully preparing children for the move, both practically and psychologically, will help ease the transition and make the process smoother and more enjoyable for the entire family.
Listen Carefully
Moving provides families unique opportunities to express themselves around a common cause. Choosing to listen to your children’s questions, ideas and concerns makes you a safe and approachable parent. Your children will value your listening ear and through it, they will learn to trust in ways that otherwise might have been missed.
Appreciate and value your children’s thoughts about your upcoming move. Whether their concerns are real or perceived, they reveal your child’s perspective. Moving is a great opportunity to strengthen your family ties. Listen.
Explore Your New Community Together
Once you have a home selected, take your children to visit the community so they have a chance to explore their new surroundings. Check out the playgrounds, community centers, recreation areas, malls, and any places where your children will feel at home. Allow them to explore and listen as they share their thoughts and questions about their new community. This creates an opportunity for you to bond with your child while building trust through open communication.
Involve Your Children In The Process
Once in your new home, allow your children to share their ideas about how to decorate their rooms. Ask questions of your children to learn their ideas and their wishes. And when their wishes are reasonable, go with them.
The involvement of your children will go along way toward helping your children better understand how to communicate and process change without fear.
Surprise
And if you feel like you next an extra tool in your belt to help your children make the move a good one, consider having a surprise ready for them when they arrive at the new home. Consider having special games ready for the children to play, think about inviting one of their closest friends over to take them out for ice cream while you’re unpacking. Or, if you want to go all out, consider having a furry friend waiting at the new home (stuffed or real…you decided).
Communication. Listen. Explore. Involve. Surprise. 5 Tips to make your move with children a positive family experience.
