Moving and Children

Residential moving with kids - some hints and sugestions on how to make it easier and a little more stress-free for the whole family.

Residential moving is tough enough, but when you've got kids it can be even harder. Kids don't like change, so it can be a major upset for their lives. Here are some ideas for making your move much easier when you have children.

Get Them Prepared

Kids love routine. Therefore, residential moving is often tough on them. They basically prefer for things to stay the same and feel lots of stress when there are big changes. Because of this, you should start getting them used to the idea as early as possible. At first, they may fight it with everything they've got, but they're just going through the process of dealing with change. Get them involved as much as possible in the planning, and if you can, take them to the new area and show them that they're going to love it. Getting them involved with their own personal items is important, especially if you care to thin out some of there belongings. Suggest to them how nice it would be to make a child somewhere happy if they were to receive a toy you no longer play with and also ask them to pick out there favorite toys because we were going to have to have some things in boxes for a while, so your favorites would go in a special box.

Be Open to Questions

If you have kids, you know how they love to ask questions about everything in the world. They'll have an exhausting number of questions about their new house, new neighborhood and new school, so be ready for it. Answer their questions as fully as possible; often, they're not really gathering information but just trying to find a comfortable place in their own minds about the move.

Be Positive

Is you're residential moving happening because you can't afford the rent now? Or because of a nasty divorce? Don't let your disappointment or negative feelings about the move show. The decision to move may be out of your hands, perhaps due to a job transfer or financial issues. Even if you're not happy about the move, try to maintain a positive attitude about it. During times of transition, a parent's moods and attitudes can greatly affect kids, who may be looking for reassurance. Kids will pick up on that and it will determine how they feel about it. If you can show them your enthusiasm and excitement about making the move, and it will rub off on them. Make it into an exciting adventure and emphasize new places to play, new friends and all the other great new things that are waiting for you there.

Plan A Going Away Party

One thing that really helps to keep kids positive about residential moving is to throw a huge going-away party. Invite all of their friends and make sure to swap details so that they can stay in touch. Most kids will forget about the majority of their old friends after the move, but they don't realize this. Keep the party and proceedings as fun as possible. Kids also need these transitional thresholds to make meaning out of things in their lives (the same goes for graduation ceremonies and things like that).

Put Them to Work

During the actual residential moving, make sure they have plenty to do. Get them involved in packing and getting things onto the truck as much as possible. Delegate tasks to them according to their responsibilities and be a good role model by working hard yourself and keeping positive. It also helps if you've got a great reward waiting for them at the end of the day like a pizza or a promised outing to one of their favorite places.

Finally, be patient. Few kids can adapt to a change this big in a single day. There may be some tantrums, fights and acting out, but once they find a few new friends and a cool new playground down the street they'll settle back into routine.