What moving home means for your child
Moving house means two things for your child. Firstly, it means parting from good friends, home and the environment in which we have made our best memories. The second is that they will have to adapt to a new situation, something that can intrigue and excite us, but also make us fear the uncertainty we face.
This article will some ways to reduce the difficulty surrounding these changes and make adapting to the new home simpler for your child.
1. Tell them in advance
Children tend to react poorly to parting from their home, and are often faced with a fear of what lies in their new future. For toddlers, the transition is less problematic, as their sense of security rests on their parents and their presence is enough to make them feel protected.
To make the process easier, tell them in advance about the move in a simple way that is easy for them to process.
2. Introduction to the new area
Your child's fear of the unknown can be alleviated through an early introduction to the kindergarten, school and teacher. Have a preliminary tour with the children in the new neighborhood to get them familiar with the area. It is also worth going to introduce them to their new teacher and notifying them of any unique needs the child may have.
If possible, allow the child to attend a holiday program in the new living area, so that they can adapt to the environment.
3. Get them used to the new bed in advance
Toddlers do not care about fashion or technological sophistication, and will always prefer that which is familiar to them. If you bought the child a new bed, let them sleep in it before the move, so as to help them in adapting to the change.
4. Keeping in touch
School-age children spend most of their time with friends. Most of their difficulty will be in parting from classmates, classes, teachers and other people that they may be close to. It is advisable to give them a chance to talk to you about how the process makes them feel. This will allow you to work together to find ways to help them prepare themselves for the move. Organise a farewell party for friends, using the opportunity to get the contact details of close friends to keep in touch.
Be considerate, wherever possible, of your child's need to keep in touch with friends. Depending on how far you are moving, it may be a good idea to allow them to participate in social activities in the previous area of living.
The main thing to remember is that you want your child to feel that their feelings are being acknowledged and that they are loved and cared for. This will help them to adjust and open them up to the positives of the moving experience.
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