Children aren’t always thrilled when they find out that they’re going to have to move away from a place they’ve become accustomed to. They think about the friends they’ve made and the memories they’ve collected and sometimes respond negatively to a proposed move. It can be really tough to get your children on board with a big family move. This is particularly difficult when they are pre-teens and teenagers. These are some tips for getting your kids excited about a family moving venture. You can try these methods to see if your kids will be more accepting of starting over:
Discuss How They Can Keep in Touch With Friends
Remind your children of how they can still keep in touch with their favorite friends and schoolmates even if your family moves away. Technology is so wonderful right now that your children can do video chats that will make them feel like they’re right there with their favorite people. Many public schools in the US offer remote classes as well at the moment, so many kids are used to using platforms such as Zoom. Just because your family moves away doesn’t mean you never get to see your friends again. Encourage your kids to have regular Zoom calls with their friends if they are feeling particularly distressed about losing them. Of course, remind your kids that a move is also an opportunity to make new friends. You can also encourage your kids to write letters as a way of keeping up with friends they have left behind. If you find your child is struggling to let go, you may benefit from speaking to their friend’s parents and asking for their advice on how to keep the two friends in touch.
Encourage Them to Meet New Friends
You can also remind them that there will be a whole world of new people for them to interact with to make friends. Explain that the world is a big place and many people occupy it. They are going to come across hundreds or thousands of people in their lifetime. They may even meet some individuals they end up liking even more than the friends they’re sad about leaving. Your son or daughter may end up with an entirely new best friend within the first month of starting at a new school. It’s certainly possible, and you should encourage it to help your children transition. Ask them every day if they made any new friends, or if there is anything at school they are interested in doing. You might consider asking them about joining clubs or other groups at school to meet people with similar interests.
One great way to get your children excited about the prospect of making new friends is to help them get involved in the new community. Look into local events and sports teams for your children. Go through the local church or community center to find programs that might be of interest to your kids. Getting them and even you as a parent involved in the new community will be a great help in adjusting to the new neighborhood. Look for little league teams, after-school groups, neighborhood associations with events, or any other local opportunities. Helping your children be active and involved in their new community can help them adjust healthily to the new environment. You will see that they make new friends quickly and easily!
Take Them to See Some Homes
Another thing you can do to get them excited about moving is to show them VA approved homes list. Take them on some walkthroughs and talk to them about the unique features of the prospective homes. Think about something that your kids love and find a home that has that item. Maybe you can find a home that has a trampoline in the backyard. Perhaps, you can find a place that has a treehouse. That’s even better. Most kids enjoy having places to hide, like treehouses and basements. Taking them to see homes with features they love will excite them.
If you find that you are downsizing and perhaps the new house you are considering has fewer features than the one you left, try something else. Instead of getting them excited about the new home’s current features, excite them with the possibilities of the space. Tell your kids that they will have equal input into the decorating of the house, and they have free reign over the design of their own rooms. Offer to get your child new string lights or something that will make their new rooms special to them. Perhaps you can purchase a fun home item such as a projector or a new couch for the new home. Small things like this can do a lot to help your kids feel like they are getting an upgrade. Plus, being comfortable in a new home is an important step to being happy with the move.
Talk About all the Cool Sites and Activities
You will have to research the area to which you’re moving for this next tip. You’ll need to talk to your children about all the fun recreational sites and favorite eating places they can visit in the new area. For example, you might want to tell them about a McDonald’s that has a play park for them to enjoy when you visit. Maybe there’s a Chuck E. Cheese or some other children-friendly establishment they will enjoy visiting. Let them know what’s available so that they can get excited about going there.
A great way to do this is to make a list of the fun activities in the new area. Make your own list of things you are excited about. These might be things like state parks, aquariums, or other museums or sights such as these. Then, you can work on getting your children excited about these places as well! You can even go as far as to plan a family vacation to the area before you move so that everyone can see what it’s like and have their first experience in the community be a positive one.
Take a Mini-Vacation to the Area
Finally, you may have to resort to drastic measures to get your kids in the mood to move. Setting aside a weekend to take a mini-vacation might be the right thing to do. Let them see how exciting and alluring the new town is. Take them shopping at the local mall or take them to an amusement park so that they can truly experience the joys of being there. They’ll feel more comfortable about moving once they get the opportunity to visit the new town. They may even ask you if you can make the move sooner.
Get Your Kids Motivated to Move ASAP
Now you know a few ways to try to get your children interested in an impending move. No matter what you try, your kids will most likely rebel in some ways. A new move is jarring and often disruptive to kids in middle and high school. But, this doesn’t mean that moving isn’t ultimately beneficial for kids. Often, moves like this are because of the parent’s jobs, or because there’s an opportunity in this new location. Always remember why you are moving there and that no matter what, your family will be better off and, eventually, happy here. Try all these ideas and see if their attitudes become more favorable toward the changes.
