4 Stress-Busting Tips For Moving With Kids

Moving is extremely stressful for adults, but for children who don’t have any control over the process, it can be truly overwhelming – and that can manifest as challenging behaviors, tantrums, and meltdowns. There’s good news, too, though: it doesn’t have to be this way. By taking a few simple steps, you can help your child navigate the process with minimal tears and a lot more excitement.

Choose A Family Friendly Property

One of the worst things that can happen when moving with kids is to arrive in your new home, only to discover you’ve landed, for example, among older adults who expect children to be seen and not heard. Before you settle on a new place to live, then, do the groundwork of ensuring that it’s family friendly housing. Strong indicators include the presence of other families, of course, as well as access to open space, a reasonable pet policy, and good nearby schools.

Another good resource for determining whether a property is family friendly is the property manager. Though property managers are also responsible for such mundane tasks as rent collection, maintenance, and marketing, property managers perform tenant screenings and generally have a deep understanding of community dynamics. They can give you a sense of the area’s makeup and what the broader community expectations and norms are.

Involve Them

Children often act out during extreme changes or transitions not because they are actually upset, but because they don’t have any control over the situation. That’s really challenging, but it’s also something that can be easily remedied.

First, if you’re moving relatively locally, take your child on a tour of the new home, or opt for a virtual tour if it’s too far away. Show your child where their room will be, what the space looks like, and any other features that might be exciting, like a swingset or a big yard. You can talk about what color they want to paint their new room, or where their toys will go.

Another way to involve your child in the moving process is by having them help pack their own things, as well as items from other parts of the house. Be sure to have some smaller boxes on hand so that there are boxes your child can carry on their own throughout the process. 

Have A Day Of Plan

Particularly when it comes to very young children, moving day can be difficult. All of their normal things are packed away, nothing is set up, and it’s generally chaotic. Plan ahead so that you know where all the most important items are; that might mean equipping your child with a backpack holding their favorite stuffed animals and some snacks, or packing a bin with toothbrushes, books, and bath supplies so that you can maintain your routine.

Explore Some Stories

Children learn to process new experiences by having them modeled or mirrored back to them, and one of the best ways to accomplish this is by reading stories. There are lots of great books about moving that you can read with your child, and which can help them understand their own emotions. As you read, talk about the character’s emotions, ask questions, and offer information that can prepare them for the move.

Moving with younger children is very different from moving with older, school age children, but you can use many of the same tools to navigate the process. That’s because, at the end of the day, the most important thing is that your children feel heard and supported as they navigate their own feelings about moving. Be their foundation – the one they can trust to hear their concerns and guide them when they encounter something new.