How best to make friends for a 4 and 6 year old moving from the UK?
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Parent Answers to "How best to make friends for a 4 and 6 year old moving from the UK?"
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Hi there,
We live in East Lyme and my children go to Flanders so naturally I am biased towards Flanders. But, you had asked for areas where you can walk to a lot of things. Flanders is not really the area for that but Niantic which is right next to Flanders is. The elementary school for Niantic is called Niantic Center and it is within walking distance of many homes however walking is no longer encouraged without a parent. My husband and his siblings went to Niantic Center.
Off the top of my head, I can think of at least 3 places that teach ballet, there's a very fine gymnastics center here. Soccer is offered in the fall and those who participate in the fall can also play in a spring league. There is also a facility that offers an indoor soccer league during the winter however, that is not within walking distance as it is in the next town over, Waterford.
We have several UK transplants here that work for a local pharmaceutical company. I think you will not have any problem. If you will be with that company, they offer an in-house child development center that is superior to almost any other place around here. If not, there is a place called Kiddie Kampus in Niantic that offers a wonderful pre-school program. Both of my children are graduates of Kiddie Kampus. I hope this helps you and I wish you lots of luck on your big transition.
We live in East Lyme and my children go to Flanders so naturally I am biased towards Flanders. But, you had asked for areas where you can walk to a lot of things. Flanders is not really the area for that but Niantic which is right next to Flanders is. The elementary school for Niantic is called Niantic Center and it is within walking distance of many homes however walking is no longer encouraged without a parent. My husband and his siblings went to Niantic Center.
Off the top of my head, I can think of at least 3 places that teach ballet, there's a very fine gymnastics center here. Soccer is offered in the fall and those who participate in the fall can also play in a spring league. There is also a facility that offers an indoor soccer league during the winter however, that is not within walking distance as it is in the next town over, Waterford.
We have several UK transplants here that work for a local pharmaceutical company. I think you will not have any problem. If you will be with that company, they offer an in-house child development center that is superior to almost any other place around here. If not, there is a place called Kiddie Kampus in Niantic that offers a wonderful pre-school program. Both of my children are graduates of Kiddie Kampus. I hope this helps you and I wish you lots of luck on your big transition.
Thank you. We have Niantic on our list of places and schools to visit,as well as Stonington,Noank,Gales Ferry,Ledyard and Oaklands. If you can recommend any schools or not that would help too. Also any places that do ballet,soccer,tennis and swimming in the area that we can pop in to visit(leisure centers).I think this will help them to settle and meet new friends. As our children are so sensitive and suffer from anxiety in new situations, we want to do as much as we can prior to them coming over. Any help or advice is appreciated.
Hi, I live near New London in a town called East Lyme. We have all the activities you are looking for and top notch schools to boot. We were just listed in Money magazines top 75 places to live in the U.S. Our school system is, by far, the best public school system in the region. If you want to be in an area where you can walk to a lot of activities, I would recommend looking in the town of Niantic. There are lots of beach communities there and walking distance to the beach, parks, churches, shopping etc. Best of luck to your family, I hope you enjoy the Connecticut shoreline as much as we do.
Unfortunately, I don't live in CT, so I don't know anything about their schools, but if you click on the green menu bar at the top of this page, where it says "Find a School" you can enter a location and grade level, and see a list of all schools in a given community, and read any parent comments that have been made about them.
Hopefully, someone from the general area in CT that you plan to move to will see your question, and give you a more detailed response. Real estate agents may also be able to give you information about the school systems when you visit. Safe travels!
Hopefully, someone from the general area in CT that you plan to move to will see your question, and give you a more detailed response. Real estate agents may also be able to give you information about the school systems when you visit. Safe travels!
Thank you.That is reassuring.Can you recommend any pre schools or elementary schools in the area? My husband will be working in New London and so we are flexible on where we live.It would be ideal to be able walk to places like parks,beach etc.I and my husband will be visiting briefly in November in search of schools and areas to live/rent. Any advice/hints would be good as it is going to be a huge change for us.Hence my chidren are very shy and sensitive.Any dance/ballet class's for my 4 year old girl would be perfect and swimming or soccer for my 6 year old.Thank you for replying.
Hello. I don't know if you're planning to send your 4-year-old to preschool, but your children shouldn't have much trouble meeting new friends through school and other neighborhood activities. Depending on what kind of area you're living in, there may be local parks and playgrounds within walking distance of your home or apartment, and sometimes there are even "neighborhood newsletters" where parents announce playgroup meetings. If your children join any other classes, like dance or gymnastics/tumbling, there will also be more opportunities to meet children. I wouldn't worry.
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