Help For Children Moving into New Home
By Diane Schmidt, About.com Guide
Kids have loads going on during a move. Most of the time it is excitement that floods their veins. But these are times of anxiety too. They will need some help to settle in. Saying goodbye to the comfortable and familiar, settling into a new room, house and heighborhood can all be trying.
Younger children, in particular, will probably be scared about sleeping in their new rooms. Make them feel at home in their new room as early as feasible. After the kitchen, the kids' rooms should be the next rooms unpacked.
Let Them Help Unpack
Get each child to unpack their own stuff (with help for the littler ones, of course). Talk to them about how they'd like their room arranged (if this hadn't been pre-planned earlier). This will help them feel like the new space is theirs. Unpack their favorite pictures/posters, and put these up in the room. Make their beds up with their favorite sheets and blankets. Remember, the sooner a child's room is unpacked, the quicker they'll adjust to the space.
Help Them Feel Comfortable in the New Space
To make them feel more comfortable, try to arrange the room to resemble their old room as much as possible; keep items that were visible in the old space visible in the new. Walk them through the space, introducing them to every corner and wall and closet shelf. Talk about the things that could go there or the differences between the old room and new room. Try to get your child to express what they like better about the new room, whether it's bigger or faces the garden or is painted a prettier color; thinking positive about the space will help them feel safe and secure.
Do a walkthrough with Them
Also, if children aren't familiar with the house (you didn't have time to play any familiarization games), make sure you walk them through their area of the house. Do this a few times so they feel comfortable knowing where the bathroom is, knowing where you're sleeping and which rooms are around them. Plug in nightlights or keep a soft light on in the bathroom just to help them adjust for the first few nights.
Source: http://moving.about.com/od/movingchildrenandteens/a/Help-For-Kids-Moving-Settling-Into-New-Room.htm
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