We are moving to West Des Moines, Iowa in 2 weeks, and I want to do something special for my 7 yr old son. We will be in a hotel for 2 weeks before we can move into our house. Any ideas to make it special and exciting for him, since he won't know anyone there? I would love to do something different, such as a keep sake.
I think a small keep sake from where you are moving from before you go and another from where you are moving to.
During the two weeks in the hotel I would look around for things that you can do around the new town just to get him familiar with the new place and he will be able to share some stories from the local places that many of the kids that live there have probably already seen once he is in school and meets new kids.
Maybe take a picture of him in every room of your current home and make it into a little photo book for him. You could even take pictures of him with his neighborhood friends and have them exchange addresses or email (IDK if kids that age email yet) and let them be pen-pals.
When you get to the new neighborhood, keep in mind that you are moving to the Midwest, so Southern hospitality won't be the way of the land. There won't be a nice welcoming committee, so it will be up to you and your son to make friends in the neighborhood. Introduce yourselves, invite kids over to play, go outside to the neighborhood park as much as possible, be chatty with the neighbors. Don't wait on it. I've been living in my home for 6 years and we JUST met our 2 neighbors behind us in the last 6 months, because our 8' privacy fence blew over. They are NICE! :) So sad it took nearly 6 yrs to meet them!
Let him use your camera to document the move. Then let him start a scrapbook while you are at the hotel. During those 2 weeks, act like tourists and go visit some of the things there are to do in Des Moines. Plan a trip to Adventureland. Make sure you go right when they open as it will be less crowded. Only stay as long as he is having fun.
Also, get him a library card and get familiar with your library. The sooner he sees how much there is to do in Des Moines, the easier it will be for him to adjust. It will be tempting for you to do house stuff. Try to put that off as much as possible. There will be plenty of time to get settled.
And once you move in, play in the front yard as much as possible to meet your neighbors. Have your son outside with you when you do yard work, etc.
