Moving Mid-school Year

Mt daughter and son were in 3rd and 6th grade but we moved at the beginning of December and I commuted to the old school for the rest of that month and started them at the new school after Christmas break. It worked out great and they had great new teachers. My son became the new boy the girls had a crush on and my 3rd grade daughter found new friends that she has become best friends with to this day now that she is in 7th.
It worked well for us and we went back to the old school whenever they had a mini day at the new school to visit friends at lunch.
Good luck!!

How does your child adjust to changes? How does he do in new environments? Does he/she make friends easily?

My DH is in the military and for awhile..moving was our thing especially in the middle of the school year. Personally, I think anytime before 6th grade (middle school) is ok for a move mid-year. My oldest always seemed to adjust well to change. She made friends easily and never had a difficult time. She has even attended 3 different schools in less than 4 months...once when she was in 1st grade and the other when she was in 4th! My other two..well it takes them a bit of time to adjust to changes (usually a couple weeks) but my DH and I always tried to make it sound like an adventure.

I am sure your 1st grader will do fine.. Just make sure to allow your child to say good by and then at the new school.. make sure they find a buddy pretty soon..

Your son could make new friends if he moves at Christmas. Moving is expensive and stressful. I would rather not do that twice in a year, though I have.

I suggest moving after school lets out whenever possible.

Q: How far is the old school commute versus the new school commute? B/c I'm a mom who is all about convenience so we spend as little time as possible in the car and I plan our lives around things that are nearby.

Would this be the final move? Or is there another school change b/c you mention this rental being short term too.

I have moved my children mid year with very successful results for all. About 3 yrs ago one was in KG, the other 3rd grade, we moved right after spring break. If I could do it over I would have done it sooner rather than later so that they would have had more time at the new school to make friends before summer break.

Also, when a child enters a classroom mid year, a sensitive teacher will usually make a big deal over the new student and that status is such an honor. Her fellow classmates will ask lots of questions about where she was, why she came, etc.

If you do move than definitely ask your new teacher to help your child with the transition.

My sister switched her 3 kids this year and also just switched them all back....long story. She is a teacher and was teaching at the previous school for 8 yrs and were basically a family symbol at the prior school, knew everyone. Her kids weren't so popular at the 2nd school, so she had them return. But her life and deep connections allowed that to happen.

If you see your future community and school changing locals, then it's probably best to not drag it out by staying at another school where you will eventually cut ties.

Moving sucks whenever you do it, if you ask me. I hate it!
We had to move quite a bit when I was married because my husband got transferred. Seems like just as I fell in love with somewhere, we had to go again.
My daughter, on the other hand, sailed through it all. She was so outgoing and made friends so easily. She didn't mind it.
Now....when she got older, she didn't want to change schools for anything. By older, I mean 8th grade and high school. When she was younger, it didn't bother her a bit. She just adapted so well and rolled with the flow.

I guess it depends on your child. If you HAVE to move and there's no choice, I guess that's just what you do. We did.
My son went to the same school K-8 and has two more years of high school after this year. We want to move, but we're waiting. No moving around for him. That's one perk of my divorce. I've been able to keep him in the same spot and promised to let him finish high school.
It also depends on if you get a fabulous deal on another house, if your work takes you elsewhere.....

Best wishes.

When my parents got divorced when I was 10, we had to move in the middle of the school year. It was awful. If you can move at the end of the school year, do that. It's just easier. Starting a new school in the middle of the year just isn't fun.

We moved mid-year when my oldest was in 1st grade. Luckily, we were able to plan it to happen during the semester break, so she went to her original school until Xmas break, then began the new school in the new year. The transition was very smooth. We spent a lot of time over the holidays getting her excited about the her new school. We had already taken a road trip to visit the new school and meet the principal and her new teacher. We talked about what things would be the same at the new school and what may be different and how the differences would make it an adventure!

M., having been military we often moved during a school year. We were taught by some wiser and more experianced mothers how to make it work no matter the grade. We tried to get as much information about the school and area as possible, and even tried contacting the principal so they could greet our child and have in place any special things that were needed. We checked to see if they had a buddy system of an older child matched to a younger and got him/her assigned and we tried to get the teacher to assign someone to help "show the child what they needed to know- bathrooms, places best to play, things to avoid and school rules etc. " We also made it a great adventure so that they could do the reasearch and learn about the surrounding area so we could go check places out. With the computer it is so much easier than when we did it. Make it a great adventure , and see about helping out at the school at least until your child is comfortable. Good Luck

Id try to do it over Christmas break if possible.