Everyone knows that moving homes is one of the most stressful periods of adult life, but what about for children? Here are the top 7 things you should consider when you are moving children whether you've rented or bought a new home.
1. Honesty is the best policy - children are very intuitive and will know that something is up. Older children in particular need to feel more involved and will be worried about leaving their friends, giving them time to adjust to the idea will help.
2. Help them picture their new home - if it is not possible to allow the children to see their new home before they move in, ask the current owners if it is OK to take pictures, so that the children can be given an idea of what to expect which should help lessen the feeling of uncertainty for the kids.
3. If you have school age kids, time the move around the school year. Plan to move over the summer holidays so that the children can start the new year before friendship groups are established. Be warned that if you move in the summer, you may need to plan more entertainment for the kids as they won't have been able to make friends in the area yet.
4. Involve the kids in the move as much as possible, giving the children ownership of the move can make them feel more empowered. With young children choose some special favourite toys that will travel in the car on moving day to help small ones feel that their needs and views are valued. Older children can be kept busy organising a leaving party for friends and neighbours, and creating change of address cards, or a scrapbook with photos of their favourite people and places.
5. Moving day can be upsetting so arrange for someone to look after the children on moving out day.
6. Make the children's rooms a priority. Try setting up the room in the new house with similar set-up so that the room feels familiar and secure.
7. Realise that for children moving can be emotional and stressful, particularly if the move involves the added stress of starting a new school. Kids bounce back quickly, so this settling in period should be short lived.
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