How Can You Prepare For a Move With Kids?

Moving to a new home can be an exciting life chapter full of new beginnings and fresh opportunities. However, moving becomes more than just packing boxes and changing addresses when you have children. You must help your little ones navigate the emotional and practical aspects of leaving behind familiar surroundings and embarking on a new adventure. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for a move with kids, ensuring a smooth transition and creating positive memories.

Be Honest

Be honest with your kids when you are planning to move. Tell them the truth about the move as soon as you know it will happen. Make sure they understand why it is happening and how it will affect them. Involve them in the process. Bring them along to view the house so they can give their opinion and help make the final decision.

Explain the move's timeline to them so they know what to expect. Let them know how they can help with the process. Also, be aware of their special needs during the transition. Allow them to express their feelings and concerns. Reassure them that their voices matter and that you will help them through this significant life change.

Visit the Neighborhood and School

You should take the kids to the new house as soon as possible after you decide to relocate there. Take them on a tour of the area and show them where their new home is. This will facilitate their adjustment to their new environment. Talk about the neighborhood's high points, like its parks, stores, and other attractions. Give them a chance to step inside the house and see themselves living there.

If the kids also have to switch schools, a tour can help them get to know the faculty and other students before the big day. The children can use this visit to the school as an opportunity to learn more about the school and to prepare themselves for the upcoming school year. 

Ensure you address the kids' concerns during visits to their new home and school. Be forthright and truthful with them. Tell them that trying something new is both thrilling and terrifying. Help them get ready for the relocation by suggesting that they investigate the neighborhood on their own. This involvement will allow them to make initial steps toward assimilating into their new community.

Involve Them in Decision Making

Involving children in the relocation process is a great way to help them adjust and give them a feeling of agency. One option is to provide them with a say in their room's color. If you let kids have some say in how their space looks and functions, they will develop a stronger feeling of pride in it. Allow your children the opportunity to voice their worries. If you can calm their fears, it will make them feel safer.

Gather the family to give them the latest on the relocation, hear their thoughts, and maybe even get them pumped up by letting them help design their new bedroom. Also, drawing up floor plans might be a great way to ramp up the anticipation. You can collaborate with younger children to bring their vision to life and then surprise your loved ones with the finished product.

Arrange Childcare

Daycare plans can ease the stress of moving with kids. Keep small kids from helping with the relocation because it can be stressful. Even if your kids are older, they could still become tired of helping and need a break.

You can arrange childcare in advance to free up some time from managing the kids or on the moving day to ensure that someone will supervise the kids while you pack and unpack. While you focus on other elements of the move, you may give your older children a positive and enriching experience in their new community by enrolling them in summer programs there.

Contact us at United Moving and Storage if you need professional relocation help in the Pacific Northwest.