Having a place to call home means everything to your kids. This is why moving from one house to a new one affects the children more than anyone else. Moving to a new place means that you uproot the children from a familiar place and take them to a completely different environment. Fortunately, you can do something about it. Here is how to help your child to cope with the move.
1. Create A Moving Adventure Bag
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This is a bag that contains your child’s favorite toys, blanket, books, and snacks among other comfort items. This is like having their room in a bag during the moving process. This bag remains with them as their old room is getting packed up and before the new room is set up. By making available their favorite items, you take away the possibility of the child getting frustrated or stressed because the move makes it impossible for them to access their favorite items since they would otherwise be all boxed up.
2. Gift them with A Flashlight
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Add a flashlight in the moving adventure bag. This will make the moving experience less scary for them. You can work with them to explore their old room and their new room using the flashlight. Teach them how to point the flashlight correctly. You can turn off the lights in their old room and use the flashlight to explore the space. Repeat this adventure in the new house. A flashlight gives the child confidence and autonomy during the moving process. This adventure makes them comfortable with the new floor plan even at night.
3. Go for An Outing
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Once in the new house, you can plan a picnic or any other activity that allows you and your child to familiarise yourself with the new environment. You can pack a few games to play at the park. Find out about the child-friendly places in the new area and take your child. Knowing there is a place with other kids like them makes the transition easier. They might even make new friends. This is a great way of helping child cope with moving.
4. Visualize Their New Space
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Once you have signed the contract for your new home, you can take a photo of your child in the new house, especially in their new room. You can hang this picture in your old house’s fridge door or their old room. Every time they see the picture, they will visualize themselves in the new house. Discuss the picture with your child and ask them where they would prefer to hang it once you are in the new house. Also, ask them where they would prefer their bedroom furniture and items to be placed. Help them to see themselves in the new room with everything as they would want it to be.
5. Setup Their Rooms First
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As soon as you have offloaded the Hudson Movers truck and put everything in its place in the new house, the child’s bedroom and play space should be the first to be set up. It is a good idea to try as much as possible to replicate their old room in the new space. The sooner it feels like home to them, the better. Having a familiar environment in the new house makes them adjust faster to the changes.
