Moving is a difficult process. It is necessary to think about how many packages to buy, what car to order and where to find loaders. But this difficult task becomes even more difficult if there are children in your house. How will they get over the change of housing? Will they be able to adapt quickly to the new place or will they have difficulties? On these, as well as many other questions, we will answer you in this article.
Moving with schoolchildren
Let’s start with the fact that children of different ages get over the move differently. The children from 6 to 12 years are most affected by moving processes. Psychologists believe this gap is the most dangerous for the change of apartment. The child has to not only get used to the new room, but also go to a new school and get to know new people. And this, as you know, is almost always stressful. Avoid serious shocks if you begin to prepare for such a significant event in advance. Talk about all the advantages of the coming move to your son or daughter. Describe your children a future room, more beautiful and comfortable than the current one. Inform that there is a cinema, playground, park or ice rink near the future house. The opportunity to spend time for an interesting activity will make the change of housing an event that the child would wait with impatience. Sometimes this is not enough. Then you should show your son or daughter your future apartment and yard. When the child plays with other children, goes for a swing and sees a large room with beautiful wallpaper, the move doesn’t seem something disastrous to the child. On the contrary, the baby will count the days remaining until the joyous event.
Depending on the age, children have different emotions when leaving home, in which, perhaps, they have spent their entire life. It is easier when it is moving to an apartment near your former residence and quite harder when it is moving to another district or even a city. Children can be frightened by the fact that they will not see friends again, that they will have to go to a new school, where they do not know anyone. To help the child say goodbye to friends on a positive wave, arrange a farewell party to which he can invite everyone he wants. And then the children will remember farewell as a holiday, and not as a tragedy.
Do not destroy the memorabilia that are associated with the old apartment. Create an album, a slideshow or a box with memories together, with the whole family. Talk with children about the future – fantasize how beautiful life will be in a new place. And ask the children what they most expect from a new place – perhaps their answers will help you to adapt them to a new life more easily. It is important that children as soon as possible feel themselves in a new place at home. If the child is very small, be sure to take his favorite toys to a new apartment and do not pack them away, as they will be needed literally on the first day. Bring a box of toys to a new nursery and call the child to do the “settling” of their pets – so the baby will feel comfortable, besides, such an activity will take him for a long time. The next step after unpacking the toys should be unpacking and arranging those cute little things that transform a new place of living into your home. It can be photos, your favorite board game of your family or something else that is dear to all of you. Only then proceed to a long and uneasy process of laying out the remaining things in the places of the new apartment – clothes, dishes, books, etc.
Try to stick to your usual routine of the day – let the children go to bed on time, and read a fairy tale before going to bed, no matter how tired you are. Of course, on the day of moving about the schedule there can be no question, but you can prepare a favorite dish of the whole family – pasta with cheese or something else, which for all is a true sign of the holiday. Firstly, the child will understand that moving is not a tragedy, but something very significant and important. Secondly, a joint dinner at the usual table will help to feel comfortable not only for the younger generation, but also for youyou’re your parents. Plan to do something together after the move. If you are moving on weekends, try to get out of work on Monday – use an extra day (preferably two or even three) to stay with your family, take a walk in the new district, explore where there are good parks and playgrounds, and if you really lucky to get acquainted with the new good neighbors.
The older guys accept the change of housing easier. They already have a certain self-confidence and conviction that it is possible to find acquaintances everywhere. However, if a child of this age has a hard time not to move, it will be difficult to change his mind. Just show the apartment and talk about the cinema in the neighborhood is not enough. We need to act more cunningly. First, describe the son or daughter the upcoming opportunities vividly. Probably, there is a dance club next to the future apartment, where your child has long dreamed of going, but could not because of its distance from your current place of residence. And, maybe, your offspring constantly suffered because he rarely saw the best friend living in another area. Now the boys will be in the neighboring streets, as a result they can see each other more often.
The second option should be applied when the first did not work. If you can’t make your child interested in moving, you can promise a son or daughter some reward. Some children will be happy to walk in the evenings for an hour longer, others will want to get a new phone, well, and some children will require piercings. Of course, the last decision will be on you. However, it is always possible to find some kind of compromise, as a result of which both mom and dad and the child will be satisfied.
It is very often to make an adult son or daughter make interested in moving much easier than it seems. It is enough only to give them the opportunity to realize their ideas in practice. If you ask their advice when choosing wallpaper for the living room and let them arrange the room on their own, they will enjoy it immensely.
Moving with small children
The smallest children, as a rule, get over the move well. For them, the main thing is to see father and mother next to them. The rest is still in the background. But if the crumb does not notice at all the changing of the house, the more grown-up kids will pay attention to this and their reaction can be not as good as we want. The solution is simple – prepare the children for the upcoming event. Just like the older guys, they need to be allocated to the future place of residence. It is necessary that the children had the most pleasant impression – interesting games with kind children, fun riding on a swing. Better, take the rule of bringing the child to the yard where you plan to move, at least once a week. Then your baby will avoid severe stress. But be careful – do not let small children into an empty apartment. It can frighten them, and in the future they can be nervous when spending time at home alone.
Regardless of how old your children are, plan moving for the summer. This will allow you to “kill several birds with one stone”. First of all, you will be sure of the safety of your things. After all, in the warm season, the probability of accidents is much less than in the cold winter. In addition, you will not feel the discomfort due to a long time in the cold or in the rain. Believe me, it’s much nicer to wait until the things are loaded if the sun shines in the street and the birds sing. And, thirdly, in the summer your baby will have more opportunities to get acquainted with other children and establish relations with them. This is especially important for schoolchildren. If they immediately find friends in the courtyard after the move, they will be easier to communicate in school. After all, the new “world” will no longer seem alien. In general, the probability that new friends will be classmates is quite high. And then joining the team will be even easier.
Essential tips for moving with kids
And finally a little about the move itself. Having a child a little (and sometimes serious) complicates it, especially if you do everything on yourself. Therefore, take care of all the nuances in advance. First, you should draw up a plan of action. When to start packing, what time the car will arrive and even how to arrange things in the new apartment, should be written down or sketched. Secondly, all packagings need to be purchased in advance, just like ordering a car. Thirdly, you need to think about the route and choose the most suitable time. Transporting things around the metropolis at rush hour is clearly not the best idea. It’s simpler and more correct to take time off at work and transport your property during the day when cars on the roads are much smaller. And the central part of the city, by the way, should be avoided, if there is such a possibility. On the outskirts, the traffic is not so lively. The greatest difficulties, as practice shows, arise in the process of packing things. It takes quite a long time, and during this period the children usually get in the way. Kids try to climb everywhere, the older guys, on the contrary, play the computer games instead of helping their parents. All this is very annoying, so solving such problems is worth in advance. It is better to take the smallest kids to their grandparents, ideally with their mother. There they spend the day in the usual way, you can move without worrying about your baby.
More adult children will want to participate in the packaging process. Let them help you. Give them unbreakable things, such as soft toys or clothes and continue to pack items.
We wish a successful moving to you and your children!