Moving is usually the hardest on children. They get used to the life they have and moving means starting everything over from scratch.
A move is especially tough on young athletes who have become very connected to their team.
So if you have to move abruptly and your child needs to transition to another team in the middle of the season, what are the things that you can do to help them? What can you do to guide them to transition effectively and efficiently?
Help the Child Learn and Adapt to the New Team
We are assuming that you’ve already talked to your child about the whole move and that they have learned to accept it and are starting to get back to regular life.
If all of that is said and done, the first thing that you should do is reassure your athlete that everything will be fine. Explain to them that nothing will change, they are still as good of a player as before and are now playing with different children. They don’t have to worry about being a mediocre player as they were already great before, and will continue to be so as long as they remain confident with their abilities.
Help your young athlete understand how everything works in the new team and what’s expected of them. Learn the protocols and procedures of the team together to help them get used to everything.
In the end, you can also have a long talk with the coach to see how everything works and if your child will fit in easily.
If or when something goes wrong and your child is having a problem in the team – not being accepted by others, or something similar – talk to them. Understand the problem and work together to overcome it.
Nothing Needs to Change
The thing about a move is that the child will get used to it if they try to meet new friends and get their life to what it used to be.
Children are very adaptable, and with a little encouragement and help from your end, they will get back to a life similar to the one they had before.
Encourage your child to be optimistic, to attempt to make new friends at school, but most importantly – try and become a real part of the new team.
Tell them to continue training and play as they did before. It will show to the team that they have a new player they can rely on. Very soon after, the entire team will want to befriend your child.
When your child starts feeling like part of that team, it will do wonders for their self-esteem and all other pieces of their life will fall into place quickly. When you look at it like that and try to help your child in the way we described, they will once again start having a great life. If you want to get more advice on these and similar issues, feel free to take a better look at our site.