How To Prepare Your Kids For The Big Move

Moving to a new home is one of those things that can be really exciting, but it is also very hard for children. Helping your little ones prepare for a move requires patience, effective communication, and thoughtful planning in order to ease the transition. Whether moving across town or to a new city, it is important to ensure your children are involved in the process to help ensure their emotional well-being.

Start talking about the move several weeks ahead of time. Children are creatures of habit and can react negatively to sudden changes. Talk to the children about why you are moving and what grand adventures they will now be encountering in a new home; perhaps the neighborhood has opportunities for them to explore there or at least new friends to play with. Children need to have some emotional outlet regarding this change as well. Often times, having a valid outlet can soothe them more. It is also a good opportunity to take them around the new house or explore the neighborhood when possible.

Familiarity is the largest issue in terms of making the children feel safe in the transition. Ways to comfort in all this upheaval, while maintaining consistency are keeping routines consistent – for instance, bedtime rituals or having access to favorite toys and belongings. Keeping the child involved and letting him or her pack a few items, or even have fun decorating the new room, can create a lot of excitement about the change.

Working with reliable local movers can make the move itself less stressful, allowing you to focus on your family’s needs. With logistics handled smoothly, you can devote more time to ensuring your kids adjust to their new surroundings. Preparing a child to understand and cope with a move requires careful planning and preparation in this communication and involvement. Eventually, it emerges as a memorable experience which sets the stage for exciting new adventures in their new home. See sidebar for related resource.