kids playing
Reading Time: 5 minutes

Moving is never easy, but it can be extra difficult for children. No matter how much stress and frustration you might be feeling, remember that at least you have some sense of what is going on and how to cope. Your kids might not even have that much, and now they’re losing the one place where they’ve always felt comfortable and secure. They’ll be leaving their friends and everything else that was familiar to them, and they’ll probably need some help to get through this.

Moving with kids is a special experience; it’s a challenging but spectacular adventure that shouldn’t be too stressful or challenging for everyone. Making the approaching move as simple for your child as possible should be your first goal as a concerned parent.

Your kids won’t know what to expect from the move or their new home, but there are some things you can do to ease the process and help them feel more confident about this major change in their lives.

1. Be open about the move

If you try to be secretive about your plans to move, it will only make the kids feel more anxious. They’ll sense that something is going on, and the more you try to assuage their fears with promises of “it will all be fine” or “you shouldn’t worry about it too much,” you’ll only build up more anxiety. Don’t be afraid to talk about it with your kids. This will help them be open about their own concerns and fears.

You can actually work together to build excitement for the move. Take some time to learn something about your new location. Discover unique things about the area and focus on the positives. This will give them something to look forward to, rather than letting them dwell on the things they’re leaving.

2. Stay healthy and stick to the routine

The busier you get with the move, the more tempting it will be to let certain things slide. You will start to think that it will be so much easier to pick up fast food or pizza and just let the kids eat whenever they can fit it in, but you need to avoid this temptation. Stick to your regular routine as much as possible. Eat together at your normal hour and make sure they are also sticking to the regular bedtimes. Kids are going to need to maintain their energy levels to get through this.

3. Commemorate the old home and neighborhood

Let them know they don’t have to forget about everything they had at the old home. Get together and share your best memories, make sure that your older kids have all the necessary contact information to stay in touch with their friends, and even have the last party to celebrate the big day.

4. Create a positive atmosphere 

The approaching move will unavoidably have benefits and drawbacks for the family as a whole and for each individual family member. And while some of these benefits and drawbacks cannot really be contested, many aspects of the move will depend on how each individual views the newly created scenario.

When chatting with a child about the relocation, make sure to emphasize the benefits, such as greater space in the new house, a better school for them, new friends, new experiences, etc. Your positive outlook on the entire relocation process will undoubtedly make the transition seem less difficult to your youngster.

5. Expect them to help

When you move, your kids can feel powerless as they lose everything they’ve known. Give them some responsibilities in the move and expect them to be part of the process. This will help them feel like they are taking control of something and contributing to this big experience. Have them help with packing and unpacking or give them specific assignments. They could be in charge of putting the kitchen in order or labeling all the boxes. If you expect them to live up to these jobs, they probably will.

You can also involve them in the new home. Let them pick the colors or decorations for their own room, and even let them have some input on the rest of the home.

6. Make the journey a trip

You may be facing a long road to get to your new home, so turn the journey into a trip full of new things. Bring some materials to keep them entertained while they’re stuck in the car, but you should also stop at important places along the way. This may also help build anticipation, rather than anxiety, over arriving at the new home.

Once you’re there, you can explore the area together, by taking a nice drive around town or walking around the neighborhood.

7. Time to say goodbye

Take some time on your last day to personally say goodbye to your house with your children. You may accomplish this in a number of ways. For example, you could go from room to room and list your best features, the things you’ll miss most, and the things you won’t miss at all.

You might include highlights of your experience in a letter to the new family if your house is sold. This is an opportunity for you and your children to reflect on and appreciate everything you have loved about your former home and to feel a sense of closure.

8. Prepare the children’s rooms first

Everything in the kids’ rooms needs to be brightly labeled. These boxes ought to be loaded last into the moving truck and removed first. Close the door to your child’s room after that, and begin unpacking. Your child will have a tranquil, comfortable room surrounded by familiar items, which goes a great way in helping her adjust and feel good about the move. The rest of the house could be in disarray, and you might have to order takeout. Additionally, it provides her with a secure space to play while you finish up the rest of the house.

9. Help your kid to stay in touch with friends

When we relocate, staying in touch with old friends is challenging. Additionally, it hurts. The fact that children can’t actually accomplish this for themselves makes it worthwhile for you to assist them because it makes the transition simpler. Set up calls on Skype. Allowing children to play simple online games like checkers with one another might still help them connect and interact if they are unsure of what to say to one another.

Talk about their friends in letters and emails that they send. You’ll notice that kids start to focus less on their old pals as they make connections with new people over time, but they’ll handle it better if it happens gradually and at their own pace.

Share:
Written by Margarita Hakobyan
Margarita Hakobyan is the founder and CEO of MoversCorp.com. She has published more than 300 articles about moving, storage, and home organizing, making her a moving specialist since she began writing about the moving industry in 2005. Follow her on LinkedIn and Twitter.