I was standing in line with a group of people the other day and for some reason, we started chatting about moving and relocating. One of the women shared that the last time they moved, she totally forgot about teaching her children about their new address and phone number until she realized that they were giving out their old one to new acquaintances. After spending so much time teaching them their former address and phone number, she totally overlooked making sure they knew the new one!
Moving is stressful and there are so many practical details that sometimes the most ordinary and mundane things can be overlooked. Even young children need to learn their new address, neighborhood information and phone number and this often means a parent needs to be the one to teach it to them. You might be surprised how a middle-schooler might not realize he or she doesn’t know the new address and/or phone number too, it is not just the young ones who need to be brought up to speed.
If possible, teach the child the new address and phone number before you move. If the child is school age, teach him or her how to write it and say it. You can have the child help you fill out and send change of address cards to the people and businesses who need to know and you can even put an older child in charge of making a “we’ve moved” card. The opportunity to write and practice the address will help the child commit it to memory. You can also play games or create a song or story that includes the new address and phone number. A little creativity on your part can help the child to commit the new address and phone number to memory.