6 Tips for Moving House with Children

Moving house is an exciting time. It can be a new start and a fresh chapter, but some members of the family may not be feeling all that happy about the change. Children often struggle with leaving friends behind, and can even feel a little daunted about the prospect of having to start at a new school.

It’s important that parents take the possibility of a child’s reluctance into account when they plan a move, and have the tools and tactics to make moving house with children as smooth and stress-free as possible.

Kent Removals and Storage has been helping families to move house for over 70-years. During this time, they’ve picked up a number of tips and tricks to help make moving day easier for every family member.

Moving House Tip 1 – Normality Is Vital

The biggest aspect of moving house that children struggle with is change. In that, try and minimise other types of change in their lives as much as possible. Do this by keeping their routine as normal as possible leading up to the move, i.e., getting them along to school and all their regular extracurricular activities, like ballet lessons, basketball games or tennis training. If everything else remains as normal as possible, children tend to deal with moving much better.

Moving House Tip 2 – Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Moving house with kids is going to take a lot longer than it does without. You’ll need to factor this into your planning. As a general rule, you need to double preparation and planning time for each child you have. When you think about all the things they have (games, books, clothes and sporting equipment) coupled with the fact that they can’t help with the move, it makes sense to give yourself more time.

Moving House Tip 3 – Familarise Children with Their New Home

If moving to a new suburb, or even moving interstate or moving overseas, if possible, try and take your children on a tour of their soon-to-be new local area. This will help your children acclimatize, and give them something to be excited about. You can show them new parks, their new school and other fun landmarks. This way, they can focus on all the new and exciting adventures that they can have in their new home, rather than all the things they’re going to miss. Plus, it will give them a sense of familiarity and belonging when you first move in.

Moving House Tip 4 – Model Good Behaviour

Getting stressed is counter-productive. It can also make your kids stressed, which can lead to bad behaviour. If you want calm kids, then make sure you stay calm throughout moving day. Your kids will take emotional and behavioural cues from you. So, if you feel the pressure rising, just take and deep breath and keep working through each job one-by-one.

Moving House Tip 5 – Get Them Involved

Kids love responsibility. It makes them feel grown-up and they’ll appreciate being given a few small jobs. It will also keep them occupied so you can focus on getting the bigger things done. There’s the also the added bonus of them making a small contribution to the move.

Moving House Tip 6 – If You Can Find a Babysitter, Get One!

These tips are designed to make moving easier with kids but you and the kids will benefit from finding a babysitter. The kids will probably enjoy eating sweets with their Grandma or playing with their cousins more than being stuck in an empty house and you’ll be able to get so much more done if you can take off your parenting hat.

With thanks to Kent Removals & Storage for this article. Visit Kent’s Moving Tips and Tools for even more expert advice on how to take the stress and pain out of moving house.