Keeping Children Happy and Engaged When Relocating

This week’s guest author, Kristal Kraft, is a dear friend and terrific Denver REALTOR® who I’ve admired for years and she happens to love photography as much as I do.  This bit from her blog says it all:

Information and Understanding are not the same thing

Buying real estate in itself is an education.  I believe every person who buys or sells a house needs to know and is entitled to know what needs to happen during the process.  Knowledge is power.  I also like to point out that just because there is so much information on the Internet about real estate and homes for sale, having that information is not the same as understanding it.  Consumers need to know much more than what inventory we have.  So while I’m standing here on my soapbox, remember information and understanding are two different things.

Here’s Krystal!

How to keep Children Happy and Engaged When Relocating

Moving across town or across the country is common among families who have parents with jobs that require relocation. Pulling up family roots every few years is not unusual in upwardly mobile careers.

Relocating gets more difficult as children get older. They have long-time friends and strong ties to where they live. Uprooting them successfully means getting them interested in the move.

How does a parent interest a kid who really isn’t happy? Spoiling, bribery and promising them everything might be one way, but in the end that just creates a bigger problem!

There must be a better way! Kids like adults are afraid of change. By eliminating their fears one can help them take that first step toward a new home with confident excitement. Here are some suggestions on how to accomplish this.

Engaging kids in the move

• Tell them they will get to meet new friends and keep the old. Make a plan for their best friend to come visit when school gets out.

• Take older kids on the house hunting trip

• Give them disposal a camera to photograph their favorite homes. They will have fun showing off their photos to friends and family.

• Involving kids in the decision making of purchase while teaching them about the economics of purchasing one home over the other helps them recognize the importance of the decision

• Visit the school where they will attend. Ask the Principal to help make an introduction to a couple kids who will be in the same grade.

• Focus on activities in the area. Recreation centers, community pools, horse back riding stables are good choices depending on the kid’s interest. In Colorado 6th graders get to ski free, this is always a plus for that age bracket!

• Take some time to research a neighborhood with your children. Let them see the grocery stores, mall and movie theaters. Once they are familiar with the area, moving there won’t seem so foreboding.

Moving is a great way to expand a child’s horizon and prepare them for whatever life’s experience might bring them.

About the Author: Kristal Kraft is a Denver Realtor specializing in relocation to and from the Metro Denver area. She has been selling Colorado for 27-years. In her spare time she likes to travel, take photos for her Denver Photo Blog and spend time with her family.