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Moving home, worried about 4 year old

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  • 29-06-2019 1:30pm
    #1
    Vicxas
    Registered Users Posts: 15,365 ✭✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    Im sure you've seen this a hundred times before but i need some advice.

    We're moving across town as we bought a new house, but i'm worried that my little lad will be lonely as we've no idea if there's going to be any kids on our street and he made friends with the 2 girls across the road in our old estate.

    Does anyone have any advice? I was thinking of bringing him down to the local GAA club but i've no idea if he'll like it or not.


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    #2
    _Brian
    Registered Users Posts: 18,569 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    Yep.
    Clubs are the key, be that gaa, athletics, soccer, hip-hop, it’s not the activity but the social interactions that are important.

    If they are doing something they like they will make friends easily.


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    #3
    Sunrise_Sunset
    Registered Users Posts: 1,215 ✭✭✭Sunrise_Sunset


    I agree that getting him into activities will help him make friends and ease the transition. Although a lot of activities will be on summer break. Is he starting school this September? Arranging playdates will help too.


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    #4
    jlm29
    Registered Users Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭jlm29


    What age is he? As above, lots of activities will be on summer break. GAA obviously won’t, but be wary of starting him off if he’s never played mid season. I brought my then five year old to gaa a few years ago when everyone else had been playing since March, and he didn’t have a monkeys what was going on, while the rest of them did. It wasn’t exactly serious business in under sixes, but it put him off for a while


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    #5
    jlm29
    Registered Users Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭jlm29


    Small local summer camps might be a good option though!


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    #6
    Vicxas
    Registered Users Posts: 15,365 ✭✭✭✭Vicxas


    jlm29 wrote: »
    What age is he? As above, lots of activities will be on summer break. GAA obviously won’t, but be wary of starting him off if he’s never played mid season. I brought my then five year old to gaa a few years ago when everyone else had been playing since March, and he didn’t have a monkeys what was going on, while the rest of them did. It wasn’t exactly serious business in under sixes, but it put him off for a while

    He's nearly 5 so he'll be starting school in September but theres 2 months there. When does the regular GAA season start?


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    #7
    jlm29
    Registered Users Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭jlm29


    Vicxas wrote: »
    He's nearly 5 so he'll be starting school in September but theres 2 months there. When does the regular GAA season start?

    March ish. Maybe book him in to a cul camp to start him off!

    Edited- he’s a bit young for cul camps. You could bring him up a couple of Saturdays and see how he gets on. At that age it will hardly be super competitive or anything


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    #8
    Ms2011
    Registered Users Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Ms2011


    We moved house & county when my son was 5 just before he started school & tbh honest it bearly phased him. He would occasionally ask about his friend next door but he moved on quickly & made friends once he started school.
    I honestly wouldn't over think it, I think we make bigger deals of these kind of situations than they do.


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    #9
    Neyite
    Administrators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,947 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Neyite


    We moved in the Feb before our lad started school so new house, new creche, new friends. New everything. It's helps if you network as well as him.

    Cúl camp should be starting soon - and did you have an introductory day at the local school where you could get to know any of the other parents? I met one or two that way.

    I was lucky that a neighbour had a child the same age as mine and introduced us both during the summer at her child's birthday party so I got to know a few mammies and the young lad got to play with his soon-to-be classmates.

    If there's a local creche in the locality ask them if they have children starting in Junior infants in that school and if so, and you enrol him, he's got a buddy or two before he starts and you could also do a couple of play dates over the summer. For his birthday in May of JI I invited the whole class, got to meet all the parents and got their numbers. It's a small class size so I was able to start up a class whatsapp group and it was invaluable for checking school or class related things. The parent's association also needed volunteers during the summer to assist with the book rental preparation and that was a good way to meet other parents and get to know them and subsequently their kids.

    We have children next door. And now he's out constantly playing with them and we barely see him except for drinks and sandwiches which is great.


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    #10
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    My kid has moved social settings about 4 times by the time he started school. Just let them have time to adjust and get to know people. You're kid is 4, encourage them to start talking about themselves, who they are, who their family are, what their interests are. Will make it easier for them to connect with others.


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