Nanny to Mommy

In the USA, roughly 13% of all families move each year. In fact, 2020 has been particularly busy despite the pandemic. Late 2020 saw a 30% increase in moves. That’s a lot of families finding new homes, and a huge percentage of those have children.

Of course, moving is stressful and difficult even for adults. However, it can be particularly demanding for kids of all ages, so as a parent, you have to prepare them for the move the right way. It will strengthen your bond with them and they’ll go through the experience happy and content. Furthermore, it will make your own experience of the move far less stressful than it should be.

But what is the right way to prepare your kids for the big day? Well, this article is here to help you answer that question. What follows is a list of different ways you can get your children ready for moving day.

It’s important to be upfront with the kids about every major decision in your life. So, make sure to tell them early on about the move. With toddlers, you can tell them a month or two in advance to help them prepare. Older children generally tend to take moving a bit more rationally, but it’s still important that you tell them in advance. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to remind them of the due date every now and again throughout the process.

Some kids might understand better if you help them visualize the move. That’s why some households buy big push-pin travel maps. It’s an interactive way to help your kids understand where you are going and how far it is from your current home. You can also make a decorative paper chain as a visual representation of the time you have left until the move, with each link representing one day. Your kids can tear off a single chain-link whenever a day passes.

If possible, try to take a road trip with your family and visit the house you intend to move into. That will help your little ones further visualize the move. Plus, it might give them the opportunity to get used to the new living space before you even set foot in it. In addition, you can use the opportunity to scout the neighborhood and see what the area is like. It might be fun for your little ones to get to know all the places where they can play and meet new friends.

Of course, staying connected with your old friends is as important as making new ones. During the preparation for the move, help your kids set up safe social media accounts and connect with as many of their friends as possible. Nowadays, talking to a friend or a family member from a different state is as easy as posting on Facebook or having a Zoom call. This process will help your children transition between the old and the new home more easily and organically.

Obviously, you will be packing your furniture, dishes, appliances, and tools when moving into a new home. In that sense, your child’s old room will look pretty much the same in the new home, what with the same bed, the same toy chest, etc. But that’s not what we mean when we talk about remembering the old home. Your kids will have memories related to certain corners of the house, or to the house itself. So, take as many photos and videos of the home as possible and keep the pre-move database for you and your kids to look at. It’s a great way to remember the old days and to pass the time while packing to leave.

Your kids are the calmest when they have something to do. With that in mind, while planning the move and packing for it, let them help. They need to feel involved in your life, so this is a great opportunity to connect and bond. Plus, you will have your very own helper. Kids can do a wide variety of odd jobs that aren’t difficult, but might help you greatly. For example, they can label boxes in creative, fun ways, which helps you easily organize your things. Toddlers can bring small items such as toys, teething gadgets, and clothes and pack them in their own boxes. With older kids, you can even draw up room plans together.

With toddlers and young kids, it might be a great idea to read about moving to them. It will help create an image of moving in their minds and help them get mentally ready for the ordeal. Luckily, there are plenty of amazing books out there on the subject, all of them with different approaches and spins on the moving process and what it entails.

Whatever happens, and no matter how prepared you get, there will always be a time when your child will feel overwhelmed by the move. Some kids will be incredibly happy. Most, however, will break down into tears every now and again. And that’s perfectly understandable. After all, they are leaving their friends and their old home behind, and it’s an intensely emotional time in their life.

So, instead of policing their emotions or trying to calm them down by force, let them feel a bit down. It’s a part of life, after all, and it will definitely help strengthen them for any future endeavors. But more importantly, it’s ok to let negative emotions out. In fact, we recommend that you allow yourself a few of these moments down the line, as it might help you focus and power through the move more easily.

Moving with kids doesn’t need to be an ordeal. In fact, if you prepare them in time and approach the matter in the right way, you will be able to focus on the details of the move and manage to pull everything off without a hitch. And yes, that can help any person who’s moving, no matter if they’re in the bustling noise of New York City or in the quiet suburbs of the Midwest.