Homesickness can be easy to treat.
There are some simple things that you can do to cure homesickness. There are also some things that you can do before you leave to help prevent homesickness. For children, it's important to lay the groundwork for them to have a fun and happy time away from home in order to help them avoid homesickness.
Keep Busy
The best way to prevent homesickness is to keep as busy as possible. If you're away from home, make sure you're taking full advantage of the entertainment and activities available to you. Not only will this cure homesickness, but you'll see a lot more of the place you are visiting.
If start to feel homesick, read a good book. If the book is interesting to you, you will get pulled into the story and forget about home for a while.
If your child is at camp, make sure she is scheduled to participate in as many fun activities as possible. Homesickness tends to be the worst when kids get bored and have time to think about home and what they miss.
Talk to Someone
If you are away from home and feeling homesick, talk to someone. Sometimes you just need to hear a familiar voice or talk to someone about what you miss about home. Keep in touch with people from home on a regular basis. This will keep you from feeling secluded and allow you to share your fun experiences with friends and family as they happen.
Make sure that children who are away from home know who they can talk to if they are feeling homesick. Whether it's a relative, friend's parent or camp counselor, your child should know who to go to if she's feeling sad. This can help alleviate fears about being away from home.
Plan Ahead
Make sure you have a favorite object or two to take with you when you're going to be away from home. Take some favorite pictures of friends, families or places that you love. For children, these things could include a favorite blanket, stuffed animal or book. Things that are from home can help alleviate the sad feelings that sometimes come with being away from home. Look at these things when you're feeling homesick and it will help.
Make sure your child knows that he will be returning home. You can even give your child a small calendar to mark off the days until he comes home. The same thing goes for an adult. Use a calendar to mark off the days until you return home. Doing that can make an extended trip away from home not seem as overwhelming because at any point you can look at the calendar and see how long until you return home.
Stay in Touch
Stay in touch with home. If your child is away, make sure that you contact her while she is gone whether it's by email, mail or phone calls. Just like with adults, these little connections can make a huge difference when it comes to homesickness.
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