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2-3-03
Tips For Helping Kids Cope
With Moving
(NAPSA)-Whether you are buying a new home or relocating
to a new apartment, moving can be stressful. If your family move includes
children, they too may experience some anxiety. Consider these tips for
parents to help ease children into new homes.
- Tell your child about the move as early as possible.
Listen to your child's feelings and let the child take part in decisions
such as care for plants and pets or selections for a pre-move garage
sale or charity donation of items you don't plan to move.
- Call the principal of your child's new school ahead
of time so your child can meet his or her teachers. This is especially
critical for children who are moving during the school year. Ask about
sports, Scouts and other activities your child can join. Some schools
will even provide a list of students who live near your new home to
encourage new friendships.
- Throw a Bon Voyage party for your child to say
goodbye to neighborhood friends. Take pictures of the old house and
of neighbors, relatives and friends for a photo album keepsake. Pass
around an autograph book and videotape the party to chase away any feelings
of loneliness once you've settled into the new home.
- Encourage an older child to exchange phone numbers
and addresses with friends and relatives to put in his or her very own
address book. Then your child can pick out his or her favorite stationery
to keep in touch. Let your child create his or her own moving announcement
to mail or email friends.
- Give the child a special memento of this major
event in his or her life. At participating Budget Car and Truck Rental
locations and at www.budget.com, parents can purchase a blue Budget
toy truck that is a replica of the very same truck the family can rent
for the move. The trucks feature humorous stick figure illustrations
that highlight different moving tips such as "Don't pack dog and
cat in same box."
- Give your child a sense of control during the move.
Suggest your child decorate the moving boxes designated for his or her
room with crayons, markers, stickers or ribbon. Pack a special moving
bag for your child with essentials such as stuffed animals, blankets,
tapes, and books. Encourage an older child to have fun packing his or
her own bag or moving boxes.
- Unpack your child's room first to bring back some
sense of familiarity. Let the child have a say in where furniture should
be placed or pick out new furnishings.
- Keep your stress level in check and take time to
laugh. Children can sense when a parent is upset, which can trigger
or heighten anxiety within.
- Stick to routines. Whether you are traveling across
town or across the country, try to keep meals and nap times as normal.
- Ask a friend or relative to play with smaller kids
while you're busy carrying your belongings to and from the moving truck.
You can also get some help by taking advantage of Budget's Load/Unload
service, where professional movers can help you move in and/or out of
your home at half the cost of a van line service. This will give you
more quality time to spend with your kids and take care of last-minute
tasks and goodbyes.
- Make moving an adventure. Draw a treasure map of
the new house and have an "X" mark the spot of the child's
new room. If possible, hide a surprise in the room. The child can explore
the new home while searching for his or her room and/or treasure.
- Save some of the larger moving boxes. Kids will
love to build forts and play games in them once you've unpacked.
- Research your new community and check out local
attractions online. Stroll around the new neighborhood and introduce
yourself and your child to the parents and kids in the area.
Families looking for general tips on packing and moving
can check out Budget's Mover's Guide at www.budget.com,
where they can also find the latest deals on local and one-way truck rentals.
Budget is the world's third largest car and truck rental system, and operates
an average fleet of 35,000 trucks.
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