Moving with kids guide

The chances are that, when you were young, your family moved. Maybe that was not the case with you in particular, but most American families move a few times in their lives. Anyhow, if you did move, you can try to remember how you felt. Were you confused? Saddened? Exited? Happy? What emotions, positive or otherwise were swirling in your mind? Well, whatever they were, they were not true understanding. When your parents faced the challenge you now face, the one of moving with kids, making their children understand was the toughest and it still is.

Children simply do not understand socio-economic reasons why your family ought to move to Brooklyn, for example. Therefore, it is important for children to be sure that you know what you are doing and that they feel secure. With that in mind, what exactly does our moving with kids guide suggests you should do?

Understand them

There has to be some form of understanding between you. When local movers arrive to pick you up they will feel utterly confused, disoriented and in a panic if you fail to prepare them for the situation properly. Moving with kids is a lot harder that way, naturally. So, what should you do? Do you sit them down and explain that mommy and daddy have bigger salaries if they follow that job on the West Coast?

No, of course not. Especially if the children are smaller. But, you do need to project the level of confidence your children can pick up on. Furthermore, you ought to make it a two-way street! Understand your children and their desires as well.

Factors you ought to keep in mind:

•  Ages of children are pretty important when you are moving with kids. They will act differently with different levels of mental development.
• Their living space, also known as the kids’ room. Will it get smaller or bigger? Will they throw things out?
• New social contacts play a major role as well. Are their friends left behind in a long-distance move or are they still close by?

Ages

Let us further discuss the influence of developmental stages/ages of children on their perception of the move. Obviously, every child is different and an outcome of diverse factors such as education, parenting, and the environment – but there are things that are generally applicable to all children of the same age. This is true even with different experiences of children in mind.

So what are such things? Well, there are two main categories here. Children from the ages of 0-13 and those 14 and older.

When you are dealing with smaller children, they are easer to move, actually. Their main social contacts are their family. For them, home is where the family is, so moving with kids like this is totally fine as long as you are all moving together.

Teenagers can be a little more problematic. They are old enough to have made their own independent social circles and will be upset to leave them behind. Their identity is being built around the things they like and people that like those same things (this is a really simplistic way of explaining it but that is pretty much that). Moving for them is a more challenging experience, and they will offer more resistance. However, they are also older, so some concepts of why you ought to move are easier to explain.

Get them to do some research

A good way to prepare them for a new environment is to get them to do some research on it. If you are moving with kids a  long way out via residential movers a long way away there will be changes in climate, rural/urban environment or even languages.

If your children are grown enough to know how to read, having them look up the new places will help a lot. Of course, they will most likely not dig up anything you already have googled, but it will serve the purpose of both a) getting them excited about the move to a brand new place, and b) get them introduced to this new location that they will now live in.

Moving with kids guide – the kids’ room

With long-distance movers hired it is a lot of work to pack everything in preparation to a moving day. Be sure to pack the kids’ room last! This is their bastion. Sanctuary. Therefore, this safe space is not to be touched until the absolute last moment.

When it comes the time that it absolutely has to be packed, make sure that your kids have to say in what stays and what goes. Actually, a lot of the picking can be done by them. Also, when you move, be sure to establish their rooms among the first ones, and that the setup is exactly how they want it.

A new school and how to say goodbye to friends

Finally, after you put in storage all the things you don’t need and settle down, it comes time for a new school. Be sure to research the school beforehand. Furthermore, no matter how small or big, the child is often frightened by the prospect of a new school. Be sure not to force them into situations they do not want to be in (coming with them to the first class, for example).

Be prepared for their new school! Also, too small children, in particular, leaving your friends in a different town is almost if they disappeared from the face of the earth. So be sure to keep up contact and encourage new friends. Otherwise, your kid might feel lonely.

Get them involved

The moral of the story is to get them involved. Without involving your children in the process, you are stuck with not only all the work but also with a conflict that is not easily resolved. When you are moving with kids, it is their wellbeing that has to be taken into account. Stress from a new environment is not something you want them to experience. So be a team!