Moving with children: How to make it easier

Some tips on how to prepare children for a move, especially a long distance move that requires a change of school.

Children are not easy at the best of times, but moving can be an especially difficult experience to go through. Children need stable environments in order to grow well-adjusted, and moving destabilizes their world. If you’re moving within your neighbourhood, no big deal: they can have the same friends and keep going to the same school. However, if you’re moving to a new city or another region of your country with the help of removalists, you need to make sure that your children are well-prepared for the moving experience.

1. Choose the right moment

It’s easier to move at some times of the year than others. Avoid as much as possible moving in the middle of the school year, unless the move doesn’t affect the school your child attends. Otherwise, the summer vacation is always a good time to move when you have children. If, however, you absolutely need to move during the school year, try and make it at the beginning of a trimester. Your children will then start with fresh lessons at their new school and won’t have to adapt to a new teaching style right before exams or tests. Use logic and be compassionate.

2. Prepare ahead

If it is possible, have your children visit their new school ahead of time to meet the principal and some of their professors. Ask the school if they have some sort of integration or mentoring program for transfer students. It might go a long way in helping them adapt to their new situation. Show them pictures of the new house or visit it with them; show them that they will be as comfortable, if not more, in their new home. Meet some of the neighbours and ask if there are any children of the same age in the neighbourhood. It will be easier to make friends if the children are introduced to each other.

3. Listen to them

Listen to your children’s concerns, questions and anxieties. Have a family talk when the decision is made, and calmly explain why the family is moving. Is it for Dad’s new job? Is it because Mom is expecting a new brother or sister? Children are intelligent, and they can understand rational reasoning. If they are concerned about friends or school, tell them if they can stay at the same school or if they will have to change, and let them know that if they do have to go to a new school, that they will make new friends there. Always be honest with them. Lying or dissimulating information will always turn badly.

If you’re worried about your children’s state of mind before or after a move, don’t hesitate to consult a specialist. They might need some help adjusting to their new environment. Removalists can take care of your furniture and your belongings, but only you can take care of your children’s health and safety during a move. Make sure that your children understand what is happening and are ready to start a new chapter of their life in a new home.

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