Moving to a new home or a new city can be exciting, but transition can sometimes be full of uncertainty for children, but experts say this is normal and there’s a lot you can do to ease the change. On average it can take kids five to six weeks to adjust to a move, so giving them as much information about the move and new home as possible will be helpful for their transition.
Make moving day a lot easier for you and your family with these tips:
- Let them see the new space: Take your kids to the new home before moving day, if you’re not able to do that, show them the online listing or take photos of the exterior and interior.
- Let them take part in some decisions: Let your kids have a say in some of the rooms, such as their bedroom, play areas, work spaces, etc. By giving them a floor plan of their space beforehand, they can start planning before the move and may get excited about new possibilities.
- Familiarize everyone with the new schools: Nowadays most schools have an online presence, so if your child is going to be changing schools, it’s a good idea to let them browse the school’s website to familiarize themselves with the building and teachers, etc. You should also plan a visit to the school as soon as you can.
- Let them help pack: Let your kids help with the packing so they can be part of the process. This is also a good time to address any emotions they might have about leaving their current home for a new one.
- Leave their rooms to last: To ensure as little disruption to your kids as possible, pack their rooms up last and unpack them first in the new home.
- Take them on a tour: Upon arrival at your new home, take the family on a tour and point out everything from bathrooms to light switches and other little details.
- Point out where things are nearby: Another thing you should do when you get to the new home, is do a tour with the family of the neighbourhood and point out amenities that may peak your kids’ interests: playgrounds, sports fields, convenience stores, etc.
- Get them interested in their new community: Get your kids excited about your new community, sign them up for local sports teams, camps, extracurricular classes and more. A great resource for your new community is finding out about your community association, to find yours check out the Federation of Calgary Communities.
Do you have some moving tips you’d like to share with us? Get in touch with us on Twitter, we’d love to hear from you. Be sure to visit us on Pinterest too for more organization and moving tips.
