Moving is a big deal for your family whether you are moving out of state or moving locally. For children of all ages, this is even harder. They lose friends. They don't fall asleep easily or sleep well. They wake up in a new place. Your teenager may get angry or insecure. Little kids get clingy and often regress.
How can you make a move easier for your family? Below are some tips for helping your child adjust to the sudden change.
Understand Your Child’s Reaction
Be prepared for your children to react with sadness or anger. But your child didn't make the decision, doesn’t understand what it will mean for her life, and probably feels worried. Listen, acknowledge, and don't try to talk your child out of her feelings, even as you reassure them.
Tell Your Child What They Can Expect
Visit your new home, if possible. Don't just go to the house. Take your kids to their new school and drive around the neighborhood. Go eat at a family restaurant, visit a park, and drive through the city. Try to find some places that your child may be interested in visiting once you get settled in. Explore some city websites or social media pages.
Share in Your Child’s ‘Goodbyes’
It's healthy for a child to express their sadness about saying goodbye to everything they've known. In fact, it's healthy and will make their adjustment easier in their new place.
● Visit with their friends to take photos, exchange addresses, and say goodbye.
● Go to your favorite spots in your town to say goodbye.
● Write goodbye and thank you letters.
● Once the house is empty, walk through it together saying goodbye to each room.
Allow Your Child to Have a Say in Some Decisions
Let your child participate in any decisions that you can, such as what color to paint their room or where to put the furniture or toys. With older kids, give them a budget and let them do a little decorating in their room.
Allow your child to decide what they will throw away and what they will keep. While this seems like a big deal right now, you may find that this is part of their adjustment process.
Maintain a Normal Schedule
The more you can maintain a normal home life, the more quickly your child will adjust to moving to a new city. Try to minimize drastic changes that your child will not understand or quickly embrace. Normality equates stability in your child’s eyes.
Setup Your Child’s Room First (or ASAP)
The rest of your new home may be in chaos, and you may have to order take-out, but your child will have a calm, safe space surrounded by her familiar things, which goes a long way to helping them adjust and feel good about the move. It also gives them a safe place to play while you're setting up the rest of the house.
Plan Some Fun Activities in Your New Town
In spite of your child’s fears or anger, they will still be curious about their new surroundings. Feed their curiosity by planning some activities you know they will love. Take trips to movies, toys stores, records stores, restaurants, parks, or kid-friendly places around town. If possible, try to take them to places where other children their age hang out.
Moving Services in Minneapolis
Ace Midwest Moving & Storage offers complete moving services for homeowners moving to or from Minneapolis, MN. We provide truck rental, professional movers and climate-controlled storage.
To reserve your moving date or climate controlled storage unit, call us at 763-755-2045. You can also send a message to info@acemw.com.