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Moving can be a stressful, emotionally taxing experience. But for children, it can be even harder as they struggle to make sense of the big change. They might feel confused about what’s going on and experience difficulty processing the shifts going on in their lives. As a parent or guardian, you undoubtedly want to provide the appropriate support and assistance to your children in order to make the move easier for them. If you’re wondering, “How can I ease the burden on my children through the relocation?”, we’ve got just the tips you need with this complete guide.
Tips for Moving with Children
If you’re currently faced with the challenge of moving with your children, the good news is that there are effective ways to make your move less exhausting or emotional for both them and you. Understand the dos and don’ts of moving with children to make the process easier for the family.
The Do’s of Moving with Children…
- Communicate Openly
As you get your children ready for the upcoming relocation, it’s incredibly important to emphasize open communication within your family.
You will need to tailor your discussions to your children’s age level to ensure they receive communication that resonates with them and that they can process successfully. Your children should be encouraged to share their emotions with you, and it should be emphasized that whatever they’re feeling is okay. Hold space for their feelings, and offer an open discussion to answer any of the questions they may have during this time.
- Involve Your Kids in the Process
Throughout the moving process, be sure to involve your children so they can feel a sense of agency within as many aspects of the move as possible. Without this step, they may feel like the move is something being forced upon them, so it’s crucial to allow them to contribute. This can help to form a more positive association with the move as a whole.
Encourage your children to help with packing or to choose the decor for their new room. These considerations can make the process feel more enjoyable for them and give them something to contribute during this life change.
- Maintain Your Routines
With such a huge life change going on, your children may feel like they have nothing to ground themselves. They may start to feel like everything in their world is changing, which can be especially difficult to grapple with.
During this time, attempting to maintain the usual routines in your household as closely as possible is advisable, as it can maintain a sense of normalcy and structure within your home. This familiarity can be incredibly comforting, both for your children and for yourself, offering a stable environment within the home.
- Encourage Exploring Your New Area
Although the move can be emotional for your children, that doesn’t mean there can’t be positive elements involved to help them get excited about their new home. If you’re able to easily travel to your new home prior to moving day, take your children to explore the new neighborhood in places they will enjoy, such as parks, playgrounds, and other recreational areas that meet your children’s interests.
If you’re moving further away, prioritize exploring the area shortly after moving day. This can give your children something to look forward to during such a significant change.
The Don’ts of Moving with Children…
- Discourage Emotional Expression
Ahead of your relocation, it’s natural for your children to feel a wide array of emotions. After all, this is a significant change in their young life, and it can be overwhelming and challenging to process.
During this time, make sure you refrain from discouraging emotional expression. Expect your children to experience a variety of emotions, sometimes even conflicting emotions. It’s possible for them to feel any combination of happy, sad, excited, scared, confused, angry, and so much more. This is a natural part of the process, and it’s important to encourage their expression.
- Rush Them Through the Process
A move is a huge change for your family as a whole, and for children, especially young children, they might feel confused about what’s going on in their lives. Make sure to hold space for them to process, and avoid trying to rush them through what they’re experiencing emotionally.
They will need time to process the move and adjust to their new home, and the timeline is different for each child. There is no one-size-fits-all process for this transition, and allowing the time and space they need for this change is important.
- Wait to Tell Your Children
As previously mentioned, your children will need time to process the change of the move. Because of this, it’s crucial to tell your children about the relocation as soon as you can, rather than waiting to tell them. It is nearly impossible to find the perfect opportunity to tell them, so simply try to find a calm, private time to tell them as soon as you can. This will allow them to begin their emotional processing sooner and make the transition easier for them.
- Become Emotionally Exhausted
Last but certainly not least, this process is emotional and tiring for everyone involved, including you. As you work to provide support for your children and your family as a whole, be sure to save time and energy for yourself.
Lean on the people you trust to offer support to you, and give yourself time to rest and practice self-care. If you allow yourself to become overly exhausted and burnt out, nobody benefits, so be sure to give back to yourself during this time.
A Successful Move Awaits You!
With these dos and don’ts in the back of your mind, you can provide the necessary support to your children as you approach your relocation.
Looking for further assistance with the logistical aspects of your move? Count on RLD Relocation & Logistics to provide moving solutions that simplify your relocation.
Through our 25 year history, we have provided high quality moving, packing, and storage services to the Akron community and beyond, enabling Ohio families to experience a successful, stress-free move. Request a free quote online today, and discover how simple and affordable an RLD move can be!
