Tips to Make Moving House Easier for Children
Moving house can be an emotional and stressful experience, especially for children. Leaving the old house, familiar surroundings, friends, and routines can take time and effort. If you’re moving with your family, ensuring your children feel supported and comfortable throughout the big transition is essential.
Here are some tips to make the first few weeks of moving house easier for children:
Involve Them in the Process
Involve your children in the moving process from the beginning. Discuss why and where you are moving with them and what it means for them. Let them know they will have a new home, new room, new school, surroundings, and experiences. Ask the older kids what they are looking forward to and are worried about. Tell the younger kids you understand their feelings and will always be there for them. They will feel empowered and involved and help kids adjust much better than expected.
Show Them the New Home
Take your children to see the new home and the kids room. Show them around and let them explore with the whole family. This will help them feel more comfortable and familiar with the new surroundings. Show them pictures and videos if you can’t visit the new home. Point out what they would like, such as the size of the kids rooms or the backyard. This will help them look forward to the move and meeting many kids in the play area or school.
Keep Their Routine
Try to keep your child’s schedule as normal as possible. This includes their school routine, extracurricular activities, and mealtimes. Keep them in the same school, or at least in the same educational system. This will help them maintain their friendships and feel more secure. If they are involved in sports or other activities, try to find similar activities in the new area. This will help them make new friends and feel more comfortable in their surroundings.
Pack Their Things Last
Pack your children’s things last so they can access their familiar items until the last minute. This will help them feel more secure and less anxious. Let them pack some things in moving boxes, such as their favourite toys like stuffed animals or books. This will give them a sense of control and ownership over the process and not consider it a big deal.
Say Goodbye Properly
Say goodbye to your old home and the people and places your children are leaving behind. This could include their school, their friends, and their favourite playground. Take pictures of these places and let your children say goodbye in their way. This will help them feel a sense of closure and make the transition easier.
Plan a Fun Activity in the New Area
Plan a fun activity for your children in the new area as soon as possible. This could be visiting a nearby park or attraction, trying a new restaurant, or watching a movie. This will help your children see that there are new and exciting things to do in the new area and help them adjust to their new surroundings.
Keep in Touch with Old Friends
Encourage your children to keep in touch with their old friends. This could include phone calls, emails, or even video chats. This will help your children connect to their old lives and make the transition easier. Please encourage them to make new friends, but let them know their old ones are still important.
Decorate Their Room Together
Let your children help decorate their new room. This could include picking out new bedding, curtains, or wall decorations. This will help them feel like they have a say in their new surroundings and make the space feel more like home.
Be Patient and Understanding
Being patient and empathetic with your kids as you move is important because it can be a trying time for them. Let them vent their bad emotions if they so choose. Acknowledge their fears and concerns, and let them know it’s okay to feel this way. Reassure them that you are there to support them and that things will get better with time. Give them extra attention and love during the transition, and maintain a positive attitude.
Explore the New Area Together
Spend some quality time discovering the neighbourhood’s offerings with your kids. This could include walking or biking around the neighbourhood, visiting local parks, or checking out nearby attractions. This will help your children feel more familiar with their new surroundings and start to feel more comfortable there.
Stay Organised
Moving can be a chaotic time, and it’s easy for things to get disorganised. Stay organised throughout the process to reduce stress for yourself and your children. Create to-do lists, secure sensitive paperwork, and mark storage containers. This will help everyone feel more in control of the situation and reduce the chances of anything important getting lost or misplaced.
Be Prepared for Setbacks
Be prepared for things not going according to plan, and be flexible. Even with the best planning, setbacks can happen during a move. If something goes wrong, try finding a solution with your children. This will help them learn how to problem-solve and cope with unexpected situations.
Create a Moving Day Survival Kit
Pack a moving-day survival kit for your children. This could include snacks, drinks, games, and activities to keep them occupied during the move. Also, have a favourite toy or blanket to provide comfort during the transition. This will help your children feel more comfortable and at ease during a potentially stressful time.
Hire Professional Movers
Consider hiring professional movers to handle the move’s heavy lifting and logistical aspects. This will allow you to devote more attention to meeting your children’s needs and provide them with emotional support as they adjust. Professional movers can also safely transport your belongings to the new home.
Take Care of Yourself
Moving house can be stressful for adults as well as children. It’s important to take care of yourself during the process. Sleep well, eat healthy meals, and take breaks when needed. This will help you stay calm, patient, and focused on supporting your children through the transition. Remember that your well-being is important too, and taking care of yourself will also benefit your children.
Set up a Familiar Space
Once you’ve moved into your new home, creating a tight space for your children is important. This could include setting up their room first, unpacking their favourite belongings, and recreating some of their routines in their old home. This will help them feel more settled and comfortable in their new environment.
Maintain Consistency
Consistency can help children feel more secure and less anxious during change. Try to maintain consistency in your children’s routines as much as possible after the move. This could include mealtimes, bedtimes, and other regular activities.
Encourage Involvement in New Activities
Encourage your children to get involved in new activities in the new area. Examples of this are playing on a sports team, taking up an instrument, or participating in local festivals. This will help them meet new friends and feel more connected to their new community.
Hire Optimove and Move to Your New House
If you’re looking for a hassle-free relocation, go no further than Optimove. We provide full-service moving assistance, from packing to unpacking, furniture disassembly and reassembly to cleaning and storage solutions. With the help of our professional moving crew, you may relocate quickly and easily to a new neighbourhood. Inquire about our offerings by contacting us right away!
Final Thoughts
Despite the challenges and chaos accompanying relocating, taking the plunge can be rewarding. Supporting your children through the transition to a new location will help them adjust quickly to their new home and create positive memories. So take a deep breath and show your children that change doesn’t have to be scary — it can be exciting too!
