Moving can be a traumatic experience for kids, especially when their move involves getting to know a new neighborhood, navigating a new school and making new friends. Time and patience are the best ways to help your child adjust to a big move, but a special moving away present can cushion the blow a bit.
Tools for Staying in Touch
Leaving good friends is hard for kids, so make your move a little easier by putting together a "Stay in Touch" kit. Make sure you have email and mailing addresses for all her best buddies, and fill a box with fun notecards, writing paper, envelopes, stickers and pens that she can use to keep in touch. Include a book of stamps so she can mail her letters from your new mailbox 1. You can decorate the inside of the box with pictures of her with her best friends.
A Last Fling
If your move timeline isn't immediate, plan to celebrate your move by doing all your favorite things. Buy tickets to local attractions you enjoy, make reservations at your child's favorite eatery and fill a calendar with dates for the things you enjoy doing, like getting an ice cream cone at a shop on the square, visiting a special art store, playing at a park with a great playground or diving into your health center's indoor pool.
A Warm Welcome
Give your child plenty to look forward to in your new home by putting together a basket of highlights he can look forward to in your new town. Buy tickets to see a local baseball game, attend an amusement park or check out a cool museum in your new town. Choose a few guidebooks to the area for your child to read, or ask the Chamber of Commerce for your new city to send you a newcomer's pack with maps and other information.
Special Memories
Consider putting together a photo album or scrapbook of special moments and people at your current location so your child can take her memories with her in tangible form. Or ask your child's friends to paste their favorite photos of your child in a blank book and write goodbye messages to her. If you're not crafty, invite your child's best friends to a going-away party and have them gather for a special group photo that you can frame for your child's new bedroom.