Moving With Children

Are you ready to move but afraid of how your child will handle it? Below are some tips for making the moving process easier for the whole family.

Tell them why moving would be a great experience. Have a family meeting and tell your kids that you think moving would be a good decision. Try to make the meeting an enjoyable experience for them get pizza or play games while you talk. Then, let them know why you’re thinking of making a move. Make it a family adventure, have them show you houses that they might like and find out why they chose them.

Be sure they are informed. Take your kids with you when you’re going to look at houses. Take their opinions into consideration and share yours with them. This move will be affecting them just as much as you. Making them feel a part of the process will be an important milestone in their new life.  Sharing the news with their old and new friends will be something for them to look forward to.

Spark the excitement in them. There are plenty of ways to make moving fun! Get your kids excited by telling them that they can decorate their new room. They will love picking colors and choosing décor for their own little space.  Also, make the whole trip fun. Get a map of the route to the new house and circle fun places to stop at along the way. It’ll be hard for them to dread a fun journey. Don’t let the fun stop there, show them how awesome the new neighborhood is too. Take your child to the local library, YMCA, or other things of that nature. Show them that their new home will be a blast. 

Be there to reassure them. Throw a party before you move out. Call it a “See you Soon” celebration instead of a “Goodbye” party. You don’t want your child to think that nothing will be familiar in their life anymore. Keep their old friends’ email addresses and phone numbers. Also, help them to make friends as quick as possible in their new home. Sign them up for team activities and encourage them to introduce themselves often. Most importantly, make sure to keep yourself available as often as possible. Make it a goal of yours to have long conversations with them every day about how they are feeling about the move and their new environment.