By Primrose Schools

It’s no secret that children thrive on routine. They learn best when they are in a safe, nurturing and consistent environment, which means major life transitions like moving to a new city can throw them for a loop. Rest assured, your child will continue learning even during a big adjustment to his or her normal routine or environment, but there are ways you can help.

“Children’s brains develop more rapidly during the first five years of life than at any other time,” says Gloria Julius, Ed.D., vice president of early childhood education at Primrose Schools®. “They are constantly observing, exploring and discovering, soaking up information about the world around them. Even during a significant change, such as a move to a new city, their natural curiosity will prevail. However, you can help them adapt and use your new environment as an opportunity to extend their learning.”

As you settle into life in a new city, there are simple ways you and your little one can get more familiar with your new surroundings while learning and having fun at the same time. Try one or more of the following activities, which also encourage important skills and traits for your child:

•  Visit your local library. Pick out books to read together at the library to help build language and literacy skills. Many libraries regularly hold story time and other programming for young children. Try attending one or two of the events as an opportunity for you and your little one to meet friends in your new hometown.
•  Play at the park. Explore your neighborhood and help your child develop important motor skills by tossing a ball or chasing each other in a game of tag at a park near your home. Being active together helps children build a lifelong love for physical activity.
•  Put down roots in your backyard. Discover science and nutrition together by planting a fruit and vegetable garden in your backyard. Your child’s curiosity will spark questions and intrigue as the seeds grow and transform.
•  Give back to your new community. Volunteer at your local animal shelter or share veggies from your garden with a neighbor so your child can witness and learn firsthand the joy of giving back, while also getting to know their new community. Modeling is an effective way to nurture traits like compassion, generosity and kindness in your little one.

As you explore your new hometown, point out similarities to where you used to live. For example, if your child loved visiting the library in your previous town, take him to a library near your new home and point out similarities and differences together. Identifying the similarities will help make the new surroundings feel more familiar and comfortable to your little one, while observing the differences will help stimulate observation and critical thinking.

If you are looking for a childcare provider in your new community, finding a nurturing environment that offers some daily structure can also help your child adjust to new routines. Every Primrose school uses the Primrose-exclusive Balanced Learning® approach, which is created from the best wisdom in early education. The Balanced Learning approach balances purposeful play with guidance from caring teachers to encourage curiosity, creativity, confidence and compassion in children.

To learn about Primrose schools in metro Atlanta, visit PrimroseSchools.com/Atlanta. For more helpful parenting tips and information, visit our blog at PrimroseSchools.com/Blog and sign up for the Pointers for Parents e-mail.