DETROIT – Making new friends after moving can be tough on children, but parents can make it easier.
A new study found that older children may find it harder to fit in after a move, while younger children might have an easier time.
"Younger kids had an easier time of it. They found that simple commonalities, like, in my Baltimore study, a love of the Ravens football team were enough to begin to connect with a peer," said Anna Rhodes, an assistant professor at Rice University.
Michael Loewer said he moved seven times as a child. The moves were easy when he was young, but as he grew older, he struggled more.
"Although I had a fine time in my junior and senior year, my junior year in particular, I wouldn't say I was a ghost, I had friends, but it was definitely different," Loewer said.
Parents can help make the transition easier on their children by seeking out community gathering places, looking for appropriate activities in settings with adult supervision and empathizing with their child's struggles to fit in.