Moving can be one of the most stressful situations in life. It is disruptive to your routine and can require change to your established social connections and job. Now imagine how difficult moving is for kids, who may not even be fully aware of the decision to move and might not understand the whole process. If that is not enough, there is also the problem of having too much moving-related work to do. Think of all the packing, organizing and the decision to choose the right moving company, all tasks that need to be addressed before and during the move.
In order for the endeavor of moving with kids to be successful you need to keep a cool head and think ahead of time. And to make it a lot easier for your little ones to grasp and deal with, you need a very specific approach:
– Talk about the whole process with your kids – this is imperative. No matter the age of your children, you will need to explain to them everything about the move. Try to stay on the positive side, even when the move is due to financial issues for example. Kids can easily pick up an emotion and their mood will often times be a reflection of the mood of their parents.
– Present to them the benefits – kids will surely have a lot of issues with moving. Friends, familiar school and home environment, local places of interest and many other things will change for them. Try to convince them that this is not necessarily a bad thing, and that in fact it holds many benefits – they will meet new friends and will discover more interesting places to hang out. Explain to them that is not scary, but instead quite intriguing and soon enough they might just start expecting the man and van with great anticipation.
– Make kids part of the moving process – instead of leaving your kids to tend for themselves, you should let them participate in the moving. This means that you can have them help with all the packing, labeling and organization of the boxes and other containers that will be used, as well as have them pack their own stuff. All of this will help children get used to the thought of moving, and make them feel less stressed when the movers come to your home.
– Keep everything essential for your kids nearby – as moving is a process that goes on well beyond packing and loading the stuff onto the moving van, you should try to keep some things within reach. This includes clothes, food, toys, baby gear and practically everything else that you think your kids might need at any stage of the move.
Moving can be a stressful time for your little ones, and you need to make sure they understand the situation. Doing so will help your family to cope with the situation and adapt to your new surroundings.
