Moving With Kids

How to make moving day a positive experience in the life of your child

QUESTION: “Our family will be moving soon and I want to know to what degree of detail I should discuss our move with my 3-year-old child?”

ANSWER: Here are a few helpful tips to make your child’s move less stressful and a smooth transition.

• Communicate with your child
• Use simple-to-understand explanations: “A big truck will come to our house and pack up our furniture, books, toys and everything else. We will get in our car and drive to our new house.”
• Encourage your child to be involved by allowing them to pack their room
• Allow your child to color their boxes so they are easily identified. This will create excitement when their belongings are unpacked as they will quickly recognize their things when they are unloaded
• Let the child pick out the paint for their new room
• Set the emotional tone for your move by remaining upbeat
• Bring them along on house hunting trips
• Show them pictures and allow them to view listings on the web
• Explore with your child kid-friendly activities and attractions in the new area
• Treat moving like it is a mere fact of life
• Try to maintain your child’s regular routine up to the day of the move. Routines reduce stress and help eliminate uncertainty of a move
• Children don’t have a good sense of time. Use a chart/calendar to count down the days until the moving day
• Make sure your child has the opportunity to say their goodbyes. Keep these experiences upbeat as possible. Emphasize that the new home will be an adventure
• If your child expresses sadness about their upcoming move, let them know you understand and that it is all right to be sad
• If your child does experience stress it is possible they may regress which could manifest itself with bed-wetting or other infantile actions. Should this occur, reassure your child; with time and nurturing, most children adjust smoothly to the transition to a new home.
• If your child participated in play groups or other social gatherings at their previous residence try to locate a similar group in your community, at your school or house of worship for continuity.

We recommend the following books to help kids adjust to moving:

• “The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day” (Random House Books for Young Readers, $3.99, 1981) by Stan and Jan Berenstain.
• “Goodbye House” (Moonbear Books $6.99, 1989) by Frank Asch.
• “I’m Not Moving, Mama” (Aladdin, $5.99, 1999) by Nancy White Carlstrom.

These helpful suggestions and resources should allow your child to experience a less stressful move and acclimate to their new surroundings easier.

Considering a move to the Greater Redlands area? Why not search for homes with your child now!