3 Ways to Ease the Stress of Moving on Young Kids
Anyone who’s moved from one house to another with young kids knows the tantrums, sulking, and bursts of tears that are likely to follow, or sometimes proceed, such a decision. Moving from one place to another is an inherently stressful and destabilizing experience for young kids.
Here are three tips for parents looking to minimize the stress of moving on their children.
Prep Your Kids Early On
Moving taps into a child’s fear of the unknown, and so communication between you and your child is key when you’re planning a move.
Calling a family meeting to explain the situation around a month or two before you move is the ideal time to let your children know what’s happening. Telling them so far in advance of the move allows them to acclimate and digest the new information before moving day.
During the meeting let your kids ask any questions they have about what a move will mean for them, and how it will change their lives. Be reassure them at every point, and let them know you’ll be there for them during the entire process.
Let Your Kids Help You Help Them
The other major point of stress for kids when moving is a sense of losing control over the world around them.
The best way to counteract this is to make your kids a part of the moving process. Let them pack their own toys, and decide which to keep for the new house and which to throw away. Draw a room plan of their new rooms, and let them help you figure out the layout.
Keep Your Routine
The above are good ways of preparing your child for moving day. But what about after? Once you’re in your new home?
Mealtimes, chores, brushing teeth, and bedtimes in the new should all be kept the same as they were before the move. It’s tempting to think you should let off the slack a bit, but all these give kids a sense of structure and normalcy.
By keeping the same rituals as you had before the move, it assures your children that everything is ok and that the world hasn’t fundamentally changed.
Keep Calm and Move On
The most important thing is to project a sense of confidence and reassurance around your child. Children pick up on behavioral cues from their parents, and will follow your lead if you act irritable and stressed.
The best way to keep from being stressed when you move? Hire us here E-Z Move, Tucson’s premier moving company, and we’ll take care of all your moving needs.
Give us a call at (520) 808-0347 and let us make moving for you and your kids as easy as it should be.
