Moving Transitions for Kids

Moving is stressful in the best of situations. You’re taking the place that you’ve called home and leaving it behind. This is the place that you’ve worked to create a sense of love, safety, and peace. And your physical environment plays a big part into facilitating these emotions.

These feelings of safety and love around a place are especially true for kids. When kids are moving, they have all the same emotions (and more) about the move that the adults do. But being kids, sometimes it’s hard for them to know how to express their emotions or understand exactly what is happening. Often for kids, the move is taking them away from the only place they have ever called home. Even very young kids (two and under) can be impacted by a move.

Even when the move is exciting, or is in conjunction with a family vacation, it can be difficult. All the excitement is fun, but exhausting. Ultimately, the kids want to “go home” to the place that feels safe and normal, but there is no “normal” during a move transition. It’s very common for kids to act “out of character”, possibly throwing temper-tantrums or acting out as they try to express their emotions.

Here are a few tips from the moving professionals to assist with the transitions for your kid during the move:

1. Communicate through your actions and your own emotions. Your children will pick up on any stress you’re feeling, so the best way to help them through the transition, is to express your own positive emotions surrounding the move. You may have some negative emotions, too, and depending on the age of your children, discussing these emotions will be beneficial. This will help your children not feel alone through the process.
2. Involve your kids in the process. Again, depending on the ages, you can bring them into the process more.
   1. Have your kids meet with your move consultant during the in-home estimate. You child can show the move consultant their room and tell her everything that they would like to bring with them for the move. This is a great opportunity to begin discussing what will happen on move day.
   2. Tour your new home with your whole family. Often parents want to pick out the new home without the kids, but once it’s decided, give them a tour. They will have fun picking out their new bedrooms and dreaming about where all their belongings will go.
   3. When move day comes, ask your mover to show your kids the truck. Most will be happy to give them a tour of where their home will be loaded. It’s a good idea to have an extra adult around to watch the kids, or take them to a park, so they aren’t in the way of the movers.
3. Don’t pack special items, such as blankets, stuffed animals, loveys, or even just the pillow they sleep on every night. A couple items of comfort will go a long way during the travel to the new home and the first few nights. You don’t want to have to dig through boxes trying to find these special items.
4. Hire a professional moving team. Professionals will make the move-out and move-in process quick and efficient. They will also help lower your stress level, which will help the kids feels more at ease, too.
5. Try to unpack your kids’ room before they arrive at the house. When their room looks familiar, this will help them feel more comfortable in the new space. The shorter amount of time in “transition”, the quicker they will be able to settle into their new space. Boxes stacked on top of one another is not comforting to anyone, especially kids who don’t fully understand what is happening.
6. Make your first night in your new home memorable. Have a fun family night – have a picnic in the kitchen, sleep in sleeping bags on the floor in the living room or build a box fort. These will be the first memories your kids have in their new home and they will never be forgotten.

Moving can be quite the challenge for families with young kids. Remember that it’s just as big of a transition for your littlest family members as it is for you. Together you’ll get through this big move and start making beautiful memories in your new home.

When you’re ready to start planning your family’s move, contact us.