Parenting 101: Tips For Helping Your Child Cope With Moving
*Collaborative Post
Relocating to a new home can be a big deal for families, especially if you’re moving long-distance. You need to pack all your belongings, keep up with the chaos, and more importantly, take care of your kids. For children of all ages, leaving familiar habits and the family home can be a great source of anxiety and stress.
If you want to help your child with this significant change, here are a few parenting tips for assisting them to cope with moving.
- Allow Your Child To Express Their Feelings
When it comes to moving with children, the first thing you should do is to announce it and explain why you’re relocating. Make sure to include them in all the planning and preparations. After the announcement, be prepared for whatever reactions they have about the move. Whether it’s sadness, anger, or excitement, let them express their feelings. Show them that you’re sympathetic and that you know how they feel. Try to maintain and communicate an optimistic attitude about what’s waiting ahead. That way, they’ll feel safer and less stressed about the transition.
- Pay Attention To Your Child
Generally, each child is different. Some may feel more vulnerable and find it challenging to adapt while others do otherwise. Because of this, it’s essential to be careful about how your child sees the concept of moving. Aside from keeping a positive attitude, pay attention to their behaviours, and make sure you’ll be there every step of the way. Don’t take anything unspoken for granted as it may be a possible sign of anxiety.
- Let Them Participate In The Move
In addition to telling them why you’re moving, it’s also important to let them participate in the process. Doing so can help make your child feel included in what’s going on. For instance, try giving them some tasks to do to prepare for the relocation. Also, invite them to pack some boxes, especially those which contain their possessions. Upon your arrival, let them set up and decorate their bedrooms. With all these things, you can prevent them from feeling too overwhelmed by the relocation.
- Let Your Child Say Goodbye
Again, it’s essential to prepare your child to make it easier for them to adjust. As they feel scared about what lies ahead, you need to help them reduce their fears and worries. You may need the assistance of professional long distance movers so you can focus on helping them cope up with moving. With their participation in the process, you can help them say goodbye to friends. Here’s how:
- Organise a goodbye party for their friends and classmates. It’s their chance to say goodbye to them before moving. Also, you can use the party to let them record their friends’ personal contact information.
- Accompany your child in taking photos of their favorite places and people. Use the pictures to make a memory book about the things that they’ll leave behind after moving.
- Encourage them to stay connected with old friends so they’ll not feel sad about leaving them.
- Help Your Child Know What Lies Ahead
Another way of helping your child cope with moving is by giving them a sense of what to expect. Emphasize that your move is an excellent opportunity to discover a new place and experience an incredible adventure. To get started, visit your new location if you can. Don’t just limit the tour to your new house but take your child to the neighbourhood, and a nearby playground. If your child is schooling, let them see their new school and other adjacent amenities. Moreover, find time to visit the local library and check the bulletin for some activities for kids. By having a tour of your new destination, you’re helping them imagine their new life.
If your family is moving to big cities like NYC, you may need more time to explore the community where you’ll relocate. To avoid rushing around between doing your pre-move tasks and taking your child on tour, hiring a moving company New York City can help. They’ll take care of the logistics so you’ll have time helping your kid adjust to the transition.
Conclusion
Everyone in the family may see moving as an emotionally and physically overwhelming experience. For some children, the idea of leaving behind the life they’ve used to can be so upsetting. That’s why it’s best if you’ll be there while they recover and learn to love your new home. Hopefully, these parenting tips can help your child cope with moving anytime soon.
*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.
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I think one should prioritize their children to the fullest extent when moving because children are the ones that are perhaps most affected by the whole moving process.