Tips to help your kids settle into a new home faster

Searches for advice on ‘moving with children’ have increased 64% in the past month3, research from 5 star home builders Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes Yorkshire West has revealed. With average monthly searches reaching 3.5k, it’s clear that families across the UK are keen to learn more about how they can help their children settle into a new home.

Ahead of the best time of the year to put your property on the market4 Barratt Developments Yorkshire West has partnered with Dr Suzannah Hill, Head of Therapy at independent fostering agency, Orange Grove Foster Care to provide families with advice on how they can help their children settle into a new home. Orange Grove understands the importance of helping young people settle into new homes more than anyone. For more than 20 years Orange Grove has been supporting vulnerable young people to move into loving and stable surroundings with the assistance of foster parents throughout the North of the UK.

Allow them to express their feelings
Children need space to express their feelings. Allowing them to do this could be really helpful. As they share with you, try and demonstrate that you really want to understand their perspective, this will help to ease any distress.

Explore what they would like to be a part of
Welcoming your children into the moving process will help them come to terms with the change. Your child might want to help with packing boxes or say goodbye to favourite places in or around the home you are leaving. This might not be possible, but if it is it will have huge benefits.

Consider marking endings and beginnings
Both endings and beginnings could bring up strong feelings for your child or young person. You should provide them with a safe place to express their feelings, so that they can be discussed with the trusted adults in their life. They may want to do something to mark an ending or beginning in a way that has meaning for them. How would they like to say goodbye to their old home? And hello to their new one? Giving children the freedom to create their own environment, such as decorating their bedroom in a new family home can be an effective way to help them feel comfortable.

Normalise that change can be challenging
Change can be difficult to navigate. It can take time to feel confident and comfortable in a new environment, and that is absolutely okay.

While stresses are evident and expected for adults, children will also be experiencing many of the same changes and levels of disruption. To ensure that the moving process is as stress-free as possible, Barratt Developments Yorkshire West provide a moving package to all new residents to help them settle into life in their new home.

“Moving house represents so much more than just moving from one property to another, it is leaving home that is the most challenging” says Dr Suzannah Hill “Children will be experiencing the same upheaval, except they rarely have a deciding vote when it comes to moving house, so while it might be exciting and the start of an amazing new chapter, children might be left feeling powerless and distressed by the upheaval, and by important adults in their lives also showing signs of stress.”

Sam Wood, Sales Director from Barratt Developments Yorkshire West said: “Moving home is a huge milestone in a family’s life, and we want to ensure that this is an enjoyable process for all members of the family. We’re delighted that we’re able to help our customers and their loved ones through our partnership with Orange Grove Foster Care and hope that Suzannah’s expert advice will help ease anxiety for children moving into new homes, so that they can settle in with ease.”

Orange Grove Yorkshire has been recognised as an ‘Outstanding’ agency by the Ofsted report for two consecutive inspections. The agency provides ongoing training and support to foster parents so that they can deliver an incredible standard of care to vulnerable children and young people, who need loving and stable homes.

Orange Grove Foster Care supports children in Bradford, Halifax, Harrogate, Hull, Leeds, Rotherham, Sheffield and Wakefield. For more information, please visit https://www.orangegrovefostercare.co.uk/offices/beverley/

Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes Yorkshire West is building a collection of high quality new homes across West and South Yorkshire. For more information, please visit https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/ or https://www.dwh.co.uk/