Packing, moving, & then unpacking… that’s what I have been doing for the past couple months! My family decided to put our “starter home” on the market and it was sold in a matter of hours. The packing commenced and the move to a neighboring town began. This whole process was bittersweet, as we found a beautiful house to move into… however, packing away the 13 years of memories was really hard.

Going through this process, my eleven-year-old daughter really struggled. She is one who does not like change. She likes things to stay the same and be able to predict what comes next. If her routine gets thrown off, she starts to get irritated and grumpy!

Which led me to start thinking about our kiddos at school…

Coping with a Move

When kids move, it can be tough, especially if they have lived in the same house their whole life. Not to mention, if a child moves to a completely new town and new school.

Students who know they are moving may start to exhibit negative behaviors days or weeks before a move. Some kids may think it’s easier to let go that way. Signs of grief may start to show up before the loss has actually happened.

Leaving the Memories

This was the hardest thing for my daughter and me. The last day of our move, our house was empty and it became so real. My daughter started crying these huge, crocodile tears and all I could do was hug her and join in. We hugged and talked about the amazing things that happened in all the years at our house. It was hard, but much needed.

Kids you see at school, may not have had the chance to do that with their families. This is why I want to do what I can to help kids cope with a move. In our school, we have a big transient population of students who move all the time. They may come to school one day, stay a few days and leave by the end of the week. No matter how many times kids do this, it’s still hard on them. Some kids build up such a guard against others because they don’t want to get too attached. This can manifest in many different behaviors in the classroom.

New Routines

Helping students develop new routines is key to getting them adjusted to a new environment. Whether it’s helping establish new school routines or getting a routine lined out for home, stability can help alleviate anxiety and stress. This can be done by creating a kid-friendly schedule or checklist.

Something I like to do with students is getting them familiar with their school day. This is something that students get a grasp on during the first month of school starting. However, the students who are coming in the middle of the year do not get to go over those as much. They are typically thrown in and kinda learn the routine as they go. It’s a great idea to make a small student schedule with picture and/or words that tell them what happens next. This way they will begin to remember the order of their day and can be prepared physically and emotionally.

New Town

It can be scary to move into a new house and leave your old one behind. But, what’s even harder? Moving to a new town and having to go to a new school! Talk about anxiety… these poor kiddos need you… the school counselor to take them by the hand and be a new friendly face. Welcome these kids with open arms and a great BIG smile! This will help them transition a little easier.

If there are several students at one time, you could have a New Student Orientation group to welcome all these students at one time. This is great because they have each other! If they see their group-mate in the hall they can instantly feel connected to someone and build those friendships.

Anyway… the activities listed next can be used in a group setting or individually with new students. If students are new to town they may want to know what there is to do. It might be a fun idea to let them explore that! You can do research online to find out what your town has to offer. Also finding different brochures and making a collage. You can let the students cut things out and glue them down to create a collage of their new town. If you want to take it further, you can have them do one of their old town and one of the new town and have students discuss what is similar, different and what they will miss or enjoy.

Leaving the Memories

If you see students who are struggling with the loss of a childhood home, they may be experiencing behaviors that are usually associated with grief. When in fact, they are losing their childhood home! They might go through the gamut of emotions such as sadness and anger.

Some of the activities you may already do for students who have lost a loved one… you can adapt to fit this situation. For example, making a memory book about all the fun memories in their old house. If the child is older, maybe write letters to themselves about their childhood in the old house.

Another way to reinforce the positives is by talking about what great memories they could begin making in their new house, school and/or community.

How to Teach Kids to Cope with a Move

Coping with a move can be extremely hard for some students. All situations and kids are different. They all handle stress and feelings differently. If you are faced with a student who is struggling here are a few things to consider…

1: Be a friendly, welcoming face at school.

2: Develop routines and stability at school.

3: Let students express their feelings about the move.

4: Build rapport and connect them with other students.

5: Get them familiar with what they can do in their new town.

Helping Ease the Transition to a NEW School

I created a small group guide for new students at your school. This resource is super easy to use and pretty much takes the planning out of having a new student orientation! To make it easy, you pick how long you want the group to last (30-45 min) and use this resource to pick out some activities listed. There is even a schedule with how to get started! Then, to end the session, there is a fun scavenger hunt board for kids to find key places in your school building. Check out this interactive, easy-to-use resource at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

What are some things you do to help kids transition during a move? Do you have small-groups for new students? If so… how do you carry that out?