7 Ways to Help Your Kids Adapt to a New Home
Tips for encouraging the kids to love their new Charlotte home
March, 2016– Danielle Edwards is a Charlotte, NC Realtor with RE/MAX Executive, the number one RE/MAX in the Carolinas.
Many of my clients have had young children and worry about the effect that moving may have on them. In general, moving is a huge transition, especially when kids are moving from the only home they’ve ever known. I’ve put together some guidelines and tips on how as a parent, you can make the transition a little bit easier on the kids.
- When packing up your first home, make sure to leave the kid’s rooms and belongings in place as long as possible. Pack up their bedrooms and bathrooms last, so they won’t go without the rooms they are used to for very long. If you’re hiring a moving company or using a moving truck, make sure the kids’ boxes can be easily accessed so you can unpack their belongings and bedrooms first in the new home.
- Turn the unpacking and decorating process into a game or fun activity for your children. Have the kids compete for who can unpack 5 boxes the fastest, or let them play their favorite music as loud as they want while the family unpacks together. Packing up and boxing the old house may seem like a chore to the kids, and that’s okay, as long as they associate unpacking the new house with fun and excitement.
- Before the big move, take the kids on a drive around their new neighborhood or town. Point out the unique things in the area that make it fun for kids. Try to get them excited about playtime at the local park or the neighborhood pool.
- Consider unpacking the TV first so the kids have a form of entertainment while you and the movers move the big furniture they can’t help with.
- Before moving in furniture and picking out rooms, let the kids explore the new house so they can become familiar with the space.
- Look up Facebook groups for parents in your neighborhood. See if your neighborhood is on nextdoor.com. Setting up playdates for your children or getting them involved in local extra-curricular activities will help keep them distracted from the negative aspects of the big change and also help them make new friends in the neighborhood.
- Most of all, be patient with the kids as they adjust. Moving homes can be very hard and they may not appreciate the new house right away. Understand that it’s normal, and accept their feelings. Time heals all things, and they will grow to love their home eventually.
Contact Realtor Danielle Edwards for your real estate needs in Charlotte, NC region.
704-604-2999
email: drivendanielle@gmail.com
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CONTACT DANIEL EDWARDS
Anyone can tell you what your home is worth. Contact me and I’ll show you how to make it worth MORE. As a RE/MAX Executive Realtor here in Charlotte NC, I use our global and local database to get your home SOLD. You need to know how to make your home worth more!
Written in collaboration with Shannon Hefferon