Preparing Your Kids for the Big Move

Moving to a new home or a new city can be exciting, but transition can sometimes be full of uncertainty for children, but experts say this is normal and there’s a lot you can do to ease the change. On average it can take kids five to six weeks to adjust to a move, so giving them as much information about the move and new home as possible will be helpful for their transition.

Make moving day a lot easier for you and your family with these tips:

• Take your kids to the new home before moving day, if you’re not able to do that, show them the online listing or take photos of the exterior and interior.
• Let your kids have a say in some of the rooms, such as their bedroom, play areas, work spaces, etc. By giving them a floor plan of their space beforehand, they can start planning before the move and may get excited about new possibilities.
• Nowadays most schools have an online presence, so if your child is going to be changing schools, it’s a good idea to let them browse the school’s website to familiarize themselves with the building and teachers, etc. You should also plan a visit to the school as soon as you can.
• Let your kids help with the packing so they can be part of the process.
• To ensure as little disruption to your kids as possible, pack their rooms up last and unpack them first in the new home.
• Upon arrival at your new home, take the family on a tour and point out everything from bathrooms to light switches and other little details.
• Another thing you should do when you get to the new home, is do a tour with the family of the neighbourhood and point out amenities that may peak your kids’ interests: playgrounds, sports fields, convenience stores, etc.
• Get your kids excited about your new community, sign them up for local sports teams, camps, extracurricular classes and more.

A great resource for your new community is finding out about your community association, to find yours check out the Federation of Calgary Communities.