Moving House With Children – we give you some helpful advice and tips to ensure a peaceful removal, smooth transition and happy children when the dust from unpacking settles!
Moving house is very exciting, but it can also be a distressing time for children particularly if you are moving to a new area and they are leaving friends behind, changing schools and leaving the familiar home they have always known.
There are however, some simple things you can do to make the moving house with children and the transition a little easier.
Moving house with children: before the move
Get them involved – giving them their own responsibilities and making them feel involved will help them to feel like they have some control over their situation. Let them pack their own toys and encourage them to declutter – recycling or donating any toys they no longer play with. Keep back their favourite toys and load those onto the van last, so they can be immediately retrieved at the new home and so immediately give your children a sense of familiarity.
Get them excited about their new rooms – if possible let small children choose their rooms and decide how they would like them to be decorated. This gives them a sense of connection to their new space. Take them around the new house, room by room, so they can start imagining their new life there.
Take them for a fun day out to get to know all of the child-friendly places in your new area. Look at parks to visit or fun places to go, and plan future days out in the future so they have something to look forward to and the new area can start to feel familiar rather than alien.
If you are moving to a new area, have a little leaving party for them and their friends so they can say goodbye. Take photos to make a scrapbook and make sure you have contact details so they can all keep in touch.
Moving house with children: on moving day
Ideally have friends or family look after your children during all of the hustle and bustle of the move. If that isn’t possible, outline some specific tasks for your child to do and help with (for example making sure all the toys are out of the van) this will keep them out of harm’s way and out from underfoot of the removal man and will also keep them occupied and give them something to focus on, rather than all of the change and commotion.
For babies and very young children, make sure all feeding and changing equipment, high-chairs etc. are kept to one side so you can access them immediately at the new property.
Moving house with children: settling in after the move
It may take your child some time to properly adjust to their new surrounding, so be patient. It is important to get back into a routine as soon as possible, even if you have not finished unpacking or the house seems in chaos – that is the most important time to keep up a consistent routine for your children.
Encourage your child to talk about any anxieties they may have so you can comfort them and assure them that their feelings are perfectly normal. Help them to make new friends, introducing them to children that are neighbours or live nearby, and participating in toddler groups or after-school programmes or clubs, which also gives you the opportunity to get to know other parents.
Most importantly, always stay positive – your child will pick up on your stress and react accordingly. Make it an adventure, accentuate the positives of the move (closer to grandparents, bigger garden, nicer bedroom etc.) and all of the new friends they will make, so that by the time moving day comes around they are excited about what they are gaining rather than being sad about what they might be losing or leaving behind.
Good luck and happy moving everyone!
