5 top tips on moving house with children

5 top tips on moving house with children

There’s no two ways about it, moving house is stressful. What we can sometimes forget is that it’s a huge upheaval for our children too. With a change of scene, and potentially a whole new location to get used to, it’s important to make sure our children feel ok with the move.

We have 5 top tips on how to reduce the stress and change for our little ones.

  1. Show no stress

Yes, this one can be very hard!

But children can pick up on the slightest change of mood and when you’re stressed, they will get stressed too.

Moving house should be a positive thing, not negative.

Keep difficult house-moving conversations out of ear-shot and when you do talk about the move to them, keep it positive and they’ll know that everything is ok.

  1. Tell them well in advance of the move

Your offer has been accepted and things are moving forward, it’s time to tell your children of the exciting change that’s about to happen in their lives.

Giving plenty of heads up will allow them to process the news and get them thinking about their new school, collect contact details from their friends so they can keep in touch and there’s also their lovely new room to think about!

  1. Get them involved

Children will want their say in what their bedroom looks like – go shopping with them to pick out new colours for their room and think about the layout.

Boxes are basically free toys and young kids love them! Build a fort and get them to pack their small belongings just before the move (it’s also a great time for a bit of a clear out too!).

It’s also important to visit the area you’re moving to so they can get used to it. Show them around their new school, the parks and shops. Visit them often so they feel much more at ease by the time of the big move.

  1. Pick the right time to move

If your children go to school, try not to move during term time. It usually means that they have a lot to catch up on when it comes to schoolwork.

Also, when it comes to friendship groups, starting at the beginning of a new school year means that they are easier to forge.

Moving during the summer makes more sense and is not such a huge upheaval for children.

  1. Keep up the routines

Children thrive on routine.

Keep dinner times the same, dress their bed with the same duvet cover, have family members and friends come and visit – this way, it’ll feel that they’ve just made a change rather than they’ve lost something.

 

If you’re thinking about moving house, please see here for our list of independent, award-winning estate agents.

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