Think twice before moving your child from one school to another

It’s that time of year again when parents begin sorting out their children’s schooling for the upcoming academic year, with some parents moving their children from one school to another.

It is not uncommon for children and teenagers to move schools should a parent have a work opportunity or life change which justifies the change, however, this move may have a negative impact on a child later on in life.

Carol Mofolo of Mind Moves Institute, an organisation which deals with the development of individuals – from babies to senior citizens – spoke to Northcliff Melville Times about how children could potentially be affected by moving schools.

Mofolo believes that what a child does early on in life affects them one way or another when they are older. She explained that moving often eventually becomes learned and is what a child ends up believing as normal.

“This starts becoming a norm. Why would they then want to change? Remember, they learn through repetition,” Mofolo said.

She explained that in the short to medium term, this trend may lead to children or teenagers losing interest in certain school activities as they feel there is no point in investing their time when they are likely to move again.

“It’s not uncommon for people who have moved around a lot as children to have problems committing in their personal and professional lives.”

She said while these issues or behaviours could develop over time, it does not happen to all children.

“Some children are fortunate enough to have the ability to quickly adapt to their surroundings.”

Mofolo, however, warned that even though moving school might be out of a parent’s control, parents should still consider how a move would affect their children and potentially work around the situation.

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