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| My kids on their first day at their new school September 2012 |
Moving house at any time is a bit of a military operation. Throw children into the mix and you have a recipe for a whole lot of stress and tears. There are ways to make your move go smoother such as employing people to pack and move you however, and this leaves you to the task of ensuring your family can adapt to the change. It’s hard enough moving when your kids will be able to stay at the same school, but if you are moving a little further and this isn’t an option there’s a whole new worry to contend with. This is even greater if you are moving at any time other than the summer holidays, as your kids will have to jump in to a new school and home mid year.
Here are some ways of helping with
this tricky transition -
Communication
Kids
regardless of their age really appreciate good communication, and being told
what is going on, especially when it directly affects them. Throughout the
moving process keep them in the loop as far as they can understand, and let
them get involved with looking at and choosing their own new school. The last
thing you want to do is to drop them off at their new school on their first day
with no knowledge of what it might be like there.
Gather information
Find
out from your children’s new school what topics they are currently covering so
you can do a bit of reading at home to get up to speed. Find out as much as you
can too about the structure of the day, your child’s new teacher, clubs and
activities and anything else you can discover that will help your child settle
faster. Show them where you’re moving to online and look at the website of
their new school as well as going on visits so they can feel more comfortable
about the change. Speak to your child’s current teacher as well as their new
one to work out what is done the same, and what will be new to them.
Excitement
Moving
home and to a new school doesn’t have to be scary, in fact it can be an
exciting adventure if done right. Build up a new home to kids with the promise
of a new bedroom and new
parks to try out. Schools too are exciting, with new friends to be made
(whilst reassuring them they’ll still see old friends) and a great new teacher
and place to learn. Let them help you buy their new uniform so they can get
used to the idea and be involved. Get new stationary as well as everything from
shirts to socks to make it all feel nice and new. You can get all you need,
from pens to schoolshoes for girls from George at ASDA so it doesn’t need to be another big
expense when you’re moving.
Moving
in the middle of the academic year is by no means ideal, but kids will adapt
quickly and soon catch up to where the other children in their new school are
with their learning. Soon enough it’ll be like they’ve been there the whole
time and you’ll wonder why you were so worried.
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