Although moving home is a stressful time for the whole family, it can be very traumatic for children who often feel anxious, scared and helpless about leaving their friends and familiar surroundings.
To make the move as easy as possible it is important that you include your children in the preparations. By encouraging your children to express their concerns you can discuss any negatives and alleviate many of their fears.
Consider the following to make the move less upsetting for your children - and therefore less stressful for you!
- Treat the move as a fun adventure
- Let children see the new house as soon as possible
- When packing, let children pack a small box of things that are important to them, especially for the first night in the new home
- Make sure you give children ample opportunity to say goodbye to all their friends
- Explain what is going to happen on move day, so that its not a frightening unknown
- If possible, have children minded on the move day itself
- If children are going to be present on move day, let them have some involvement in the move. However, make sure you have an easily accessible game for them to play to keep them out of harms way (and frayed tempers if necessary!)
- The move is likely to be a major disruption to your children, so don't be surprised if the move induces behaviour such as tantrums, thumb sucking or bed-wetting
- As early as possible help your children set-up their new bedrooms and then work to get into a household routine as quickly as possible after the move
- Explore your new neighbourhood with your children as soon as possible, so that they can develop a sense of familiarity
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