Some Tips for Moving with Kids

Moving is a crazy time and we often forget to sit our kids down and really explain to them what is going to be happening.  As adults especially, we are used to the process of moving, and we understand that we are in control of it.  Kids, on the other hand, might be excited about a move but they also don’t know what to expect and when the ball gets rolling they can really start to feel overwhelmed.  

The last thing you want is to unload your last box in your amazing new home and hear the kids ask when you are going back home.  What?  We are home!  Here are a few simple tips for helping ease your kids into a move:

• Be aware of how you are reacting to the move.  If you are stressed and unhappy your kids are going to be feeling that on an accelerated level and they are going to associate moving with negative emotions. 
• Paint the move as an adventure, which can be scary and intimidating but is also very exciting.  Plan a fun activity for after the move to bring closure to the event.
• Make sure to talk about the move on a daily basis leading up to it.
• Involve the kids in helping you find as many cheap moving boxes as you can.  Take them into department stores with you when you ask, and drive with them behind businesses to see if any have been discarded. 
• Introduce the movers to your kids and pets.  Showing that your movers are real people can greatly assist in alleviating the anxiety of watching them cart all those hard-earned cheap moving boxes out of the old house.

• Some movers actually provide specialty boxes for children, that the children can label and draw on to help them feel included in the process.  You can also find a lot of material online that will help your children prepare for the move.
• Encourage your child to keep a journal of the process.  Sit down as a family often before the move, and even after the move.  Even if your child can’t write, they can still draw and talk about their feelings.  Keep those drawings and papers together so that you can go over them after you’ve moved in.  You might even want to hang onto them if you know you will be moving again in a few years to refer back to. 
• If you found enough cheap moving boxes and don’t want to try to resell them after the move, get your kids together in making an awesome fort out of all of the empty boxes.  They won’t say no to moving again if they know what kind of fun is in store at the end!