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Mid year is worse,my parents did that with me and I never did adjust. When you show up halfway through the year you stand out like a sore thumb.
I think that depends on the area. If you are moving to an area with lots of growth - chances are the child will be the 'new kid' for not very long. In my daughter's case, she was the new kid for exactly 2 days, until 2 new students showed up.
I moved in 5th grade, in May. My memories are fuzzy, but I think the timing was actually pretty good. I got to meet some new friends & acclimate a bit before the summer. There were differences in the academic programs (ahead in some subjects, behind in others), but since there was only a month left in the year, it didn't set me back much. It also helped that all the kids in my grade were moving up to the bigger middle school in the fall, so everyone was making some new friends in 6th grade. My parents put me in a couple local activities that summer and I met a neighbor girl who basically adopted me into her group of friends. Overall, moving was not hard on me.
My sister was in 7th grade and it was much harder on her. Partly because cliques were more established by 7th grade, and partly because of her personality. She was a great kid but nerdy and "weird". I don't think the timing of summer or mid-year would have made a difference. Honestly, she might have had a hard time even if we hadn't moved. Middle schoolers can be really mean to anyone who is a little different.
I guess my advice would be to think about the timing that makes the most sense for your family overall, and just to be as supportive and patient as you can be.
We moved over the summer. Although it was easier on me, not sure if it was easy on the kids. They didn't get much of a summer with me doing all the move coordination, moving, unpacking, etc. They also had several months of getting super nervous about school.
At least with a move during the school year, they could jump right into school, meet some friends, and get established a bit faster. And I would have time to do the unpacking and setting up in a new residence while they were in school.
Would vote for during the school year too, that way the teachers are aware the student is new and can accomodate more than if the student just blends in w/ the regulars in September (also hopefully less anxiety on the student as someone else mentioned).
Would vote for during the school year too, that way the teachers are aware the student is new and can accomodate more than if the student just blends in w/ the regulars in September (also hopefully less anxiety on the student as someone else mentioned).
This reminded me... It appears my daughter's new school has segregated the kids a little based on ability (this is 2nd grade). Many of the students who moved into the area during the summer were placed in a class with the lower-performing students. My daughter and another kid were bored (they were reviewing things they had learned in first grade in the old district) and became disruptive.
I finally met with the teacher, explained how my daughter's first grade class was run, what the rules were at her old school, and what she had and had not learned there. The teacher made some modifications, DD was asked to change certain habits she was used to, and the problem went away. The teacher hadn't realized there was such a difference in what DD was used to doing.
No matter when you move, it may be good sit down with the teachers when your children start school and figure out what is alike and different in the two schools. That will help you prepare your child and help the teacher see if there is anything they need to watch for.
We moved over winter break when our kids were in 2nd (our son) and 5th (our daughter) grades. Much of their adjustment will depend upon the school, and how willing they are to help integrate the kids into the new environment.
Our grade school was great, but I think that was partly because I contacted the principal before we made the decision to move. I talked to him on the phone about the school, the curriculum, etc. I'm not a fan of test scores in judging a school, but I was concerned with some of the scores at this school. We then set up a tour for a time when we were going to be in the area. I also let him know ahead of time when the kids would be starting at the school and kept in touch with him. This school had a policy of assigning buddies to new students who came in midyear. Taking the time to communicate with the school prior to the move was very helpful. It also let the principal know that we were involved parents and would be "watching" our children's education. While not being pushy, it set a precedent that we placed a high value on our children's education.
The situation for both kids was like the OP described. Their classmates were excited to have a new classmate. Our D became the "popular" girl that first year which was a new experience for her. Just by chance their was a girl her age in our very small neighborhood. They became friends and still are. Our S, although quiet and shy, always seemed to attract kids. I think other kids liked his quirky sense of humor. He also remains friends with those boys from second grade although now all are in college. Both adjusted well socially and academically.
We moved to the US mid-year (from Switzerland, but we're English), and put our then 2nd grader and 6th grader into schools a few weeks before Christmas. It actually turned out to be the perfect time - there's a festive feel that time of year, with lots of themed crafts and class parties, and they're usually not doing too much new work but are starting to wind down a little towards the end of the semester.
My 2nd grader (girl) dropped in great; it's an easy age where kids mostly play with the nearest kid rather than a special one. She needed a lot of work academically as she'd previously been in a French-speaking school and couldn't read well in English; the mid-year move made it easy for the teacher to focus on her and allocate one-to-one time until she caught up.
I was a bit worried about my 6th grader (boy); with only 6 months to go before middle school, I thought he might struggle to break into friendship groups. But no, he was accepted from Day One - he's the geeky computer type rather than the sporty type, and fell in beautifully with a like-minded crowd. He apparently spent the day being a minor celebrity, having the other kids follow him round the playground to hear his English accent: 'Say 'Harry Potter' *squeal* That's so cuuuuuute!'
We had a week or two before the kids actually started, during which their new teachers both emailed me, and invited me and child to come in after school one day to meet them, see the classroom, begin to make the school more familiar, etc. They were allocated buddies and generally feted; my daughter had her desk all made up ready with a name sticker band (the ones showing number lines and cursive), all the books neatly filed away ready for her in her cubby, etc. There was very much a sense of 'we've all SO been looking forward to A joining us!' Surely this is normal for a planned school move, for this age group? The earlier notion of new kids clearly being seen as a bother and not even being given a desk seems bizarre; surely you'd pick up that 'we just don't give a d**n' vibe during a visit?
She's 4th grade now, and came out of school all excited on Monday because 'we got a new student today! His name's X, and he's sitting at the table with Y and Z... oh look, there he is now, with the green backpack!' I looked, and X was walking along with a couple of other boys, chatting away on their way to the buses - he apparently didn't know anyone before that morning, but had slotted in nicely and was clearly being made very welcome. 4th grade girls might be a little harder, as they're starting to clique up, but I think boys would be absolutely fine - mention 'soccer' or 'Minecraft', and they're away.
We've done a few other school moves (when my son goes to high school in the fall, it'll be his 8th), some mid-year and some during summer. I would always, where possible, do a mid-year move with elementary kids - I've found they get more individual attention that way, there's more fuss made of them by the other kids, and their clear 'new' status means more allowances get made by both kids and teachers. Mine also wouldn't do at ALL well with sitting around angst-ing for days or weeks on end about what the new school/ kids/ teacher might be like.
Hello! I'm trying to determine the best time to move our 2nd grade & 4th grade boys. We had originally thought after the school year so they would have the summer at the community pool and being outside playing in the neighborhood to make friends before the school year started.
But I believe there is another way to look at a mid-year move... while it is probably harder for the kids to adjust to a new program mid-year, is it easier to make friends IN school, IN class than before hand? Do new kids that come mid-year get more attention and other kids think it's 'cool' for new out of state students to come in? Or do they just ultimately feel like outsiders?
Wanted to see what others experiences were regarding this - did you move during summer or mid year and how did your kids (or specifically boys, because I do believe girls and boys adjust differently) do with the transition and making new friends. And a little more background - my boys are easy going, make friends easily but can also be shy in new environments and they are very excited about the move, not caring too much about leaving friendships behind, but looking for a new adventure.
I just want to make sure we weigh all the options/scenarios before we make any decisions. I ultimately want to do what is best for my boys and this transition for them. Thanks!!
As a teacher,I can tell you that moving mid year can be a fantastic experience for elementary age children. They are seen as new and tend to be pretty popular if they are friendly and reasonably well behaved.
The children who have issues with moving mid year are the ones with anger issues, autism, extreme shyness, language/speech issues or other health impairments like vision or hearing.
We usually moved in the summer because of my schedule, and then the next summer is a bit lonely for my daughter. We have moved several times for my husband's work. Another great time to move is in April/may because they don't miss much from the previous school and get to make new friends. The optimal time to move In my opinion is over the winter break or spring break. Also, if you live in a state that takes tests like the STARR test in Texas, moving after the test is a good time.
Also, if you live in a state that takes tests like the STARR test in Texas, moving after the test is a good time.
For an in-state move, yes. If you are moving from a different state into say, Texas, the kids might have to make up the standardized test, depending on what grade they are in.
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