Moving to a new town: How to help your kids adjust

Relocation is a huge life change for everybody. This life event affects the adults, as well as the kids. Kids can take it even more seriously, and have a lot of problems with making new friends, adapting to a new school, etc. That’s why you shouldn’t take your children’s feelings for granted, and you should help the move into the new house both physically and emotionally. Here’s a simple guide on how to help your kids adjust when moving to a new town.

Preparation is everything

To help your kids adjust to a new town, you need to start way before the moving day. The proper mental preparation can make the moving process a lot easier, and help your kids adjust when moving to a new town. Here’s what you can do:

• make a creative moving schedule – involve your kids in making the moving plans, and help them visualize the move by creating fun projects together.
• sit the new home before the move - help your kids adjust by visiting the new town and the house before the move. If possible, do it more than once.
• talk about their feelings before the move – tell your kids that it’s okay to feel scared or angry because you’re leaving the old home. Help them deal with their pre-move emotions.
• pack together – involve your kids moving preparations as much as possible. This will help them mentally prepare for the move and also do something practical and useful.

Let the kids make decisions

To help your kids adjust when moving to a new town, let them make some decisions regarding the new house. These could be related to their new room. They could pick wall colors, furniture pieces, or do some fun DIY decorations for their new bedroom.

Unpack wisely

Unpacking is one of the biggest tasks when moving house, and most of the people feel overwhelmed even before they start. Your kids’ stuff might not be as important to you, but you should know it’s extremely important to them. So, if you feel that your children have trouble adapting to the new city and the house, make sure to unpack the boxes with heir items first. This will make them feel important, and keeping them busy with unpacking their room will result in them not worrying so much about the new environment.

Talk about post-move feelings

It’s very important to communicate openly with your kids about the emotional side of the move. To help your kids adjust after moving to a new town, share your feelings and tell them that you feel the same. Let them know that it’s okay not to love the new place immediately, and teach them it takes time to call a new location home. Helping them overcome the fear of the unknown is very important for adjustment.

Find some cool places to visit

Nothing will make your kid love the new town more than some cool, kid-friendly activities. Do some research before the move and check out what location’s kids love the most. Cool playgrounds, entertainment parks, cinema – anything that will show your child they can have a lot of fun in the new town, as well.

Don’t forget the first day of school

One of the most stressful times for each kid moving is going to a new school for the first time. The new classmates and teachers may be something your child dreads the most. So be sure to visit the school before the classes, go around and get to know the place and meet the teachers. This way, your kid will know what to expect once the classes start, and the transition will be much easier.

Help them see their old friends

Leaving their old classmates and friends is probably the saddest thing about the move. As we all know, most of the friendships we make in childhood last forever, so you should help your kid see and talk to their old friends even after the move. If possible, give them a chance to visit each other because old friends can help your kids adjust after moving to a new town.

Be involved in the community

One of the ways to help your kids adjust to a new town is becoming involved in its community through different activities. It means that both parents and children should do things around town. Visit the local zoo, the museum, do activities common for that area/climate, etc. Socializing is a great way of accepting the new environment, as well as making new friendships.

Get a pet

If you don’t already have a pet, moving into a new house is the perfect opportunity to get one. Kids love pets such as cats and dogs. And if they get them when they move into a new house, they will associate the love of the pet with the new house. This will surely help your kids adjust when moving to a new town.

Meet the neighbours

Moving into a new neighborhood where they feel like strangers can be pretty tough for kids. So to make sure they feel welcome, be sure to go and make friends with your neighbours – especially those families with kids. Making new acquaintances and having someone to play with can help your kids adjust much faster.

Don’t force it

When you want to help your kids adjust when moving to a new town, you shouldn’t overdo it. Forcing your kids into liking the place can only delay that process even more. That’s why you should take it easy and do one thing at the time. Give your family time to adjust and fall in love with your new hometown!

Laura is a teacher who loves everything about children. She writes blog posts related to parenthood and shares advice and her own experience as a parent.