Moving to a new home is always a special occasion for everyone involved. Whatever the reason may be, a lot of emotions and a lot of effort will be put into it. From choosing the perfect moving date to hiring quality cross country movers Florida, to packing all of your belongings and going through with the move, there is a lot ahead. Moving on your own or with other adults is usually not as complex emotionally as is moving with kids. That is why making sure that you do everything you can to help kids settle into a new home as soon as possible is really important. Luckily, there are several things that you can do to achieve that. We have listed them in no specific order, as it would be best to go through with all of them.
Respect their feelings and thoughts
In order to help your kids adapt to the new situation, you must prepare ahead. Before you go about looking for movers Margate FL, you should first have an honest talk with your kids. It is more than likely that kids are not the ones that have made the decision regarding the move. That is why it is normal for them to feel confused or even angry because of the whole situation. You will have to be open, honest, and, probably more than anything else, patient with them. Give them a chance to share their feelings and talk about what is it exactly that is bothering them regarding the whole situation. Is it the fact that they are leaving their home, or the fact that they are going off into the unknown? The way you address their feelings can make all the difference in their mindset.
Mental preparation and setting the right expectations is crucial
Do not simply dismiss their worries by saying that “Nah, it will all be alright”. Tell them that what they feel is normal and that even you are feeling a bit sad about the whole situation (even if you do not). This will help the feeling of being on the same side even stronger. Saying that they have to “toughen up” is not gonna help either. Tell them that this experience is something that is going to be useful for them because it is a normal part of life. Remind them of all of the challenges that they have already conquered (however small those potential challenges may seem to you if the kids struggled with something, it was a big deal and is thus worth mentioning) and remind them how bad they felt and how they managed to deal with that.
And then tell them painful truth. They are going to feel sad or nervous at some point. However, that is not going to last forever. Paint the picture in their head of themselves six months after the move. They will feel a lot better. They will be making new friends. In a year from now, they will be able to look back and smile at how they felt about moving. So, yes, things will not be completely super wonderful for a while. But they need to be reminded that that will not last. Help them consciously acknowledge the fact that they will at times feel sad in their new home, but that they will also eventually stop feeling like that. By fully expecting all this, they will have a much easier time when those bad feelings hit.
Introducing them beforehand to it can help kids settle into a new home a lot faster
If it is possible, it would be great to visit your new home before the move takes place. If you are moving in 3 months, for instance, then you should try to organize a weekend trip to your new home. Going on such a trip can be really useful psychologically. By going to your future new home town, you and your kids can create connections right away. And if you do this before the move and simply go and have fun as a tourist would, this would make it easier for kids to connect to their new home because going to a tourist visit is free of any sort of moving anxiety.
This is a simple and effective way to help kids settle into a new home faster. You can also take them to your new home and sleep over there if that is possible. Make it special by having a gaming night before sleep, or talk until late. In any case, something that is not common for your everyday lives. Creating some positive, fun connections to the new home before the move is a really effective way to help them love it. Of course, if you are moving over a longer distance, this may be a bit harder to do, but it is a fact that this can go a really long way.
Let them help in shaping your new home
The final tip we have to help kids settle into a new home is to allow them to shape it themselves. Of course, depending on their age, your kids will need and want different things. They will also thus be able to help in different ways, or perhaps not even help at all if they are really young. However, there is actually always something that they can do. Giving them something small to do, if you “sell it” to them in a smart way can make them invested. For instance, letting them choose the color of their room can mean a lot. Older kids can also be more useful like providing help with packing. Depending on their age, kids can be quite helpful. Be creative with tasks for them. These will invest them in the whole process and as a bonus distract them from the potential stress.