Helping your Kids Feel at Home in a Temporary Place

If you or a family member is in the military, you’re renting an apartment, or if you have to move for work, you may be faced with staying at a temporary place. It could be for a few weeks, to a few months, and up to a year. It can be hard on adults knowing that you’ll be there temporarily, but it’s even harder for kids. Children are comfortable with the place that they call home and it's a drastic change for them to move and stay in a brand new place, even temporarily. Here are some tips to help kids feel at home in a temporary place. 

When you’re packing your items for moving, make sure to not pack your child’s favorite item. Whether it’s a blanket or a stuffed animal, he or she should have it throughout the moving process. It will comfort him/her and make the moving transition easier. 

Another way to help your kids feel at home is to add some color to their rooms. If you are allowed to paint in your temporary home, you should let them pick the color for their rooms. If you are unable to paint the walls, you can buy some canvases and let them paint those. It will add color to their rooms and it’ll be their own artwork. You can also purchase some pillows or a rug in their favourite colors so they will get excited about their rooms.

Another way to ease your children into moving into this temporary place is to take them food shopping. Let them pick a treat that they like and purchase some of their favorite foods. When you first move in, take out will be an easier option, bu tcooking dinner at the new place will help make your kids feel like they are at home. 

Do some research about your new place before you move in. Try and find fun things that the whole family can participate in. You can look for a local playground or maybe even an amusement park. Check out the local library and see if there are any kid-friendly events happening. This can help them forget that they are in a temporary home and enjoy themselves.  It can also help them meet new friends.

At your previous home, your kids had a set of friends. When they found out they were moving, they were probably upset that they won’t see them again. But with technology today, it’s very easy to keep in touch. When you move into your new place, make sure to set up your computer first. You can then download Skype or other video call services and it’s a great way to stay in touch. You can also let your children write to their friends and create them artwork to send. When they talk to their old friends, it won’t feel like they are that far from home.