Moving house is one of the most exciting yet laborious activities anyone will go through in their lifetime, especially if they have a family. It generates an intriguing set of contrasting emotions that leaves you unsure as to whether you should be excited by or apprehensive of the process. It is even more difficult if you have children, since they may not initially understand the benefits of moving and might even resist the idea of it. Thankfully, we have created a small guide to help soften the blow for your child and to also help get you out of a sticky situation if your child has reacted badly.
Talking to your children
Our children come first and so it is important that we sit down and have a chat with them about the whole experience. Seeing what their opinion is will help them feel valued. Telling them early on that you are thinking of moving house will give them time to get used to the idea whether they enjoy the thought or not. You might be lucky – your child might even be excited about the move! It might finally be their opportunity to stop sharing a room with their sibling(s) and get their own space.
My child has reacted badly to moving home. What do I do?
Your child may be perfectly content with where they are just now and be totally against the idea of moving home. It is important to remember that this is a natural reaction and that their opinion can be swayed over time through a number of different methods. What you first have to do is find out what it is they are worried about, then you can try to solve it:
Tell them all of the advantages of moving home
Think of all the positive things that your child will enjoy about their new home and remind them every day how much better the new home will be. For example, you can tell them about how much bigger and better your new garden will be for hide and seek, or the amazing new play park that is around the corner from the house. Try to be creative with your words and make sure to reinforce them with some enthusiasm.
Get your children involved
I know this may actually be a bit of a hinderance to the moving process but involving your children will help prevent them from feeling left out or behind. Moving home is a family process so make them feel part of the process and so that they know what is happening. Getting them to help you with the logistical side by making lists and stacking boxes is one of their many opportunities to get involved.
Integrate fun activities
When you move house, expect to see a lot of cardboard boxes. This is an excellent opportunity to help make moving a fun process for your children. Kids love drawing and colouring in and so what better way to help reduce the stress of moving? Give your kids a cardboard box each to decorate and personalise. Refer to it as ‘the special box’ for them to pack all of their prized possessions, such as teddy bears, toys, books, etc.
Ensure that they stay in touch with their friends
Friends play a big part in a child’s life and help them to grow and develop special interpersonal skills that they will need when they are an adult. Re-assure your kids that just because they are moving house, it doesn’t mean that they have to say goodbye to their friends. Maintain ties with their old life and everything in it by organising special play dates and sleepovers.
Even though it is a daunting thought for your children, being the new kid on the block will also help develop them as a person. Just make sure that they aren’t thrown into the deep end by providing them with a lot of support and bridges for them to cross. Perhaps your next-door neighbour has a child around the same age? Talk to your neighbour and organise days where your children can meet and socialise. Another way could be to keep an eye on the local clubs of the area and send them to ones that they are most interested in.
Plan packing with prudence
‘Where do I even begin?’ A line that will inevitably go through your mind as you meekly stare up that steep mountain that you have to climb. Just like any other monumental task, you need to plan effectively by scaling the workload down into small tasks. See this as a great opportunity to get rid of belongings that don’t have a place in your new home. We recommend that you start packing around three months in advance. Here is a bullet checklist that will help scale down your work into smaller tasks:
- Designate a special room in your house for you to place your packed boxes to avoid a cluttered house leading up to your move.
- Pack one room at a time. A logical and systematic approach will prevent a cluttered mind as well as a cluttered room, allowing you to plan linearly.
- Pack boxes of off-season objects in your house way in advance to reduce the workload just before your move. This can include Christmas décor, skiing equipment, etc.
- Fill empty gaps. Look for old newspapers or magazines to fill in the empty spaces in your boxes. This will help save your belongings from damage during the transfer between houses.
- Label your boxes. Write the contents of each box on each side with a black marker. Do not write on the top since you will be stacking the boxes on top of each other.
