Creative Ways to Prepare Kids for a Big Move
In the process of planning your home relocation, there are so many issues to handle that the emotional side of the move usually remains ignored. However, if you have ever talked with someone who had to do all those things with their children by their side, you must have heard how difficult that can be. Children are emotional. And in most cases, they cannot perceive why they must leave their homes and go elsewhere. That is simply a stressful experience they need to deal with, and thus you should show them your support.
Still, you should know that they accept things the best if they look like a game. As a result, we created a list of creative ways to prepare kids for a big move.
1. Give them some important tasks
Helping your kids accept the new life should be the first point on your post-move checklist. However, as a responsible parent, you must ensure your kids are ready for the big day of your move even before it comes. Having a good talk is the best thing you should do. Explain to them the importance of your decision and how good that change will be. What’s more, use that unique opportunity to involve your kids in the whole process.
Kids like tasks. They love to feel they are a crucial link in a chain. So, let them think they have something under their control. Give them several essential tasks to deal with, and point out how responsible the tasks are. When it comes to small kids, you will have to monitor everything they do, of course. Conversely, older children can be a handy helping hand if given the appropriate tasks. Help them feel they are a part of the relocation team, and in a way, distract their attention from lamenting about leaving their home.
2. Ask them to help you make decisions
As the experts from losangelestransfer.com would say, everything goes more manageably with a team. So, why would you make all the decisions by yourself? Create a small group of your dearest family members, and consult them about everything. One thing is for sure; your kids will love the idea. On the other hand, you may also remain shocked by how creative and playful your kids can be. Ask them about the wall colors, new furniture elements, or how to decorate your new home’s living room. You will enjoy their happiness, which can help you make crucial decisions much more effortlessly.
3. Make it an interactive experience- one of the creative ways to prepare kids for a big move
Relocation can sometimes look like a completely abstract topic when seen from a child’s point of view. What’s more, something they cannot understand can make them feel more anxious and angry. That’s why you need to make the whole thing close to them. It is quickly done through the numerous creative and interactive activities that help them understand.
- Create a kind of countdown calendar or a countdown paperchain. Let them tick the days until they move, or rip off the rings of the chain as the days come by. It can help them take some control in their hands, and they will have time to perceive what exactly is going on. And all of that in a very creative and intelligent way.
- Try to involve them in the packing process. Wrapping, sticking, and sorting are what most kids enjoy doing. What’s more, you can use them to mark all the moving boxes with some exciting drawings for easier unpacking later.
4. Don’t forget the family time
No matter how old they are, your kids are still your kids, and you are their parents. So, you should never disregard the importance of family moments, even when the chaos of the relocation process comes. So, prioritize and do only the tasks that cannot go without you.
Hire a moving company to deal with transportation matters, and rely on their organizational skills. When it comes to the packing, do not hesitate and leave it to the pros too. There must be several good professional packing services in the area. It will undoubtedly save you a lot of time and energy, and more importantly, you will have more free time to spend with your kids.
Give your best not to break their routine and make them understand nothing serious will change once you move into a new home. What’s more, those little breaks will be your precious moments, too. Think about them as an excellent chance to relax and think about things other than you move, for at least a bit.
5. Let them meet the new neighborhood
Your kids will start accepting the idea of relocation once they realize nothing wrong will happen to them. They are about to leave their comfort zone, and it would be wise to help them get to know the new environment they are moving to. Employ a creative way to prepare your kids for a big move, and pay several visits to your new home together. Help them make a visual picture of the place where they are about to live and play from now on. Don’t miss the chance to take a little tour through the neighborhood and show them that super cool park nearby. What’s more, if you let them enough time, they may make some friendships, too, since that’s how children do that.
On the other hand, although visits are often not that possible when it comes to international moves, you should think about making several videos of your new home and the closest neighborhood and show them to your kids before the moving day comes. A visual presentation would be much more interesting for them than a mere talk.
Do you feel ready now? We hope these creative ways to prepare kids for a significant move work for you. Whatever you decide to do, keep one thing in mind- leaving their home is a profound and stressful change for them, and all they need is a little more love to survive.