Helping Your Kids Meet New Friends After A Summer Move

A summer move can be a great thing for your kids in the long term. Although it's never easy getting farther away from friends and family - whether you move to the next school district or across several states - starting the next school year on relatively even footing with new classmates is positive.

However, if you move toward the beginning of summer, your kids may have to spend a few months getting settled before going back to school. Use this advice to help your children start meeting new people and allay your own fears about whether they'll do as well in their new environment as their old one.

Opportunities for your kids to meet new friends

"A summer move can be a great thing for your kids in the long term."

You've had plenty on your plate to deal with in terms of your move, so you may not have considered what your kids will do in their free time now that the process is over. That's OK - there's still time to find some activities and other opportunities for them to cross paths with other kids.

Ideas to consider include:

• Summer camps: Although some require registration long in advance of the beginning of the session, it won't hurt to reach out and see if last-minute cancellations or other circumstances means there's an open spot.
• Parks and recreation classes, sports and activities: Check with your local parks and recreation department to see if they have shorter-term offerings with open spots that either meet your children's existing interests or sound exciting enough for them to try something new.
• Volunteering: Programs managed by local nonprofits, organizations and municipal governments can be a good way to meet people while contributing to the community, at least for older kids.
• Visiting local parks: A more informal approach of simply visiting a park or playground can be especially useful with younger children. Park visitors of a similar age will also generally have mom, dad or a caretaker watching over them. That means you can meet and make arrangements for future play dates if your kids hit it off.
• Meeting neighbors: Hosting a housewarming party and inviting those on your block or simply ringing doorbells to introduce yourself to your nearest neighbors offer plenty of opportunities for everyone in your family to make new connections.

Positioning your kids for success when meeting new friends

Once your kids are old enough, you don't have to do too much to facilitate the development of new relationships. Although you'll want to give your teens opportunities to meet people and learn more about new friends, you probably won't need to do a lot of hand-holding. With younger children, it's not always as simple.

Use this guidance to keep your efforts open, positive, low-stress and as successful as possible:

• Be gentle but focused with shy kids: Today's Parent said the best way to help shy kids - whether it's a personality trait or a temporary trait brought on by the move - is to gently coach them. Consistently make eye contact, speak clearly, smile and use a person's name, and have them practice the same behaviors.
• Help them converse: PBS Parents suggested helping your kids understand how to build and continue conversations, as well as praising good conversational behaviors they exhibit. This builds confidence and helps them use the same approach when meeting new people.
• Don't worry too early: While you shouldn't ignore a long, ongoing concern about a lack of friends, remember it takes time for your child to build bonds. Your anxiety can rub off on your child if you express it too openly, so focus your energies on helping them develop and grow.

Moving with kids is a unique experience, but this advice can help them feel more grounded soon after they arrive in your new home. For help getting there, turn to the expert movers at Atlas.

Three Tips for Moving Your Office

Moving your small business office causes you plenty of hassles if you don’t start with a plan. That’s why having an office move checklist comes in handy. To be certain, a list ensures that you won’t forget anything. However, there’s more to moving an office than that.

Below are three tips for moving your office that will help you transition more smoothly into your new space.

1. Put Together Your Moving Timeline

Your office moving checklist should include a timeline for the move. According to Wave Apps, this accomplishes a couple of things. It allows you to establish a budget as well as a plan for the move. It also gives your employees a heads-up so that they can plan, too.

Additionally, creating your office relocation checklist also gives you the opportunity to see how your moving plans may affect your interactions with clients and vendors. For example, you’ll want to move your Internet service ahead of time so that it works in your new space on your first day there. To ensure that this happens, it’s best to put this list together about six months before your move. If problems arise because of your moving plans, you’ve given yourself extra time to deal with them.

Finally, your moving office checklist should include a date for securing a moving company and a cleaning company. Book these professionals two to three months ahead of your move to ensure that they’ll be available on the days you need them.

2. Get Your Employees on Board

Your employees might not be as excited about the move as you are. They may face a longer commute. They may also have to find new budget-friendly places to have lunch and they may also worry about how the physical part of the move will affect them. You’ll need to address these challenges when you’re making your office relocation checklist.

Some issues like the actual physical work of the move are easier to address with the checklist. For example, employees will need to pack up their desk. However, the movers you hire will move the big items like desks, chairs, office equipment, etc. Let your employees know that. You can also help them come up with new lunch places by scouting out the area where you’re moving to. Pick up menus from nearby restaurants. Send them links to online restaurant reviews in your company emails. Offer to host an employee lunch or coffee in one of these new places.

As for the commute, that could be a bit more complicated. You may want to buy your employees monthly bus passes to offset commuting costs or allow them to work flexible hours, which gives them more time to get to work. Finally, be prepared for some employees to leave the company if the commute is just too much for them.

3. Plan Your Floor Layout

Moving isn’t just about packing boxes so that things don’t break. It’s also about what you’ll do with the contents of your boxes once the move takes place. As you plan your move take the time to map out the layout of your new office space. Consider issues like shared employee space, fire codes, and flow of traffic.

Also consider getting new office furniture. Even if your space is bigger, your old furniture may not fit the new layout. New furniture and fixtures add new life to a space and to employee spirits. If you opt to buy new items, you’ll need to think about how these pieces will fit into your new floor layout as well.

Final Thoughts

Moving your office takes considerable time and planning. The most successful office moves include months of planning. They also require at least one office move checklist. Creating a checklist gives organizers visual reminders of what needs to be done and when. The best-laid moving plans start at least six months in advance. This gives company managers time to contact vendors, move services like the Internet, and help employees to adjust to the idea of working in a new space.