Moving within Europe

Moving with children

Preparing your children for the move

• Consider what time of the year you are moving and how that might impact your
  child’s routine. If you move during the summer, your child gets the
  benefit of a clear fresh start at the beginning of a new school year.
  Then again, if your child is separated from her friends for the summer,
  you may need to arrange activities so that she does not become
  depressed.

• Younger children learn by playing, so incorporate the move into playtime. Give the kids moving boxes to play with. Have them move their stuffed animals to
  another room for the day. Show them picture books of other children
  moving, and discuss how the people in the book might be feeling – but
  make sure the story ends on a cheerful note.

• If possible, plan a family visit to your new community before you move in.
  Taking your kids to the new city will make the move more tangible, and
  less of an unknown.  Take the kids to the parks, schools, on drives
  around the neighbourhood and even the surrounding neighbourhoods. Even
  better, take the kids with you to visit their new school and the estate
  agent. If you have already bought a house and it is unoccupied, let the
  kids see where their new rooms will be.

• If your child can not visit the new community with you, take plenty of
  photographs or even record it on a camcorder.  Record images of your
  new house: children’s bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, living room, front
  garden, back garden. It is not possible to take too many pictures. Then
  go into the neighbourhood and photograph places of interest: schools,
  sports arenas, playgrounds, shops, restaurants, parks, and so on.  Use
  your photos and videos to build up excitement.

• If your children are old enough, hold regular family meetings to discuss
  the move.  As you get your children more involved in the process of
  moving, they will gradually adjust to the idea. Use your family
  meetings to discuss your children’s concerns and help them find
  proactive solutions. You can also use this time to delegate tasks and
  encourage participation.

• Think twice before you throw out old toys and baby clothes. It can be
  tempting to throw out your children’s old things. But be careful. Many
  families throw things away only to regret it later.

• Say goodbye to your old house. There is a number of ways for you and your
  children to say goodbye to the old house.  You could make a scrapbook
  of photos taken in and around the house. You could have your children
  make a time capsule representing their time at the house, and bury it
  in the back garden.  Or you could have a friend take a few photographs
  of the whole family standing in front of the house; frame the best
  photo; and hang it proudly in your new house.  The most important thing
  is that you acknowledge how much the old house has meant to your
  children and your family.

• Help your children say goodbye to the people who are important to them.
  Older children can throw a goodbye party for their friends. Encourage
  them to hand out postcards with their new address and their email
  address.  Help your younger children write goodbye cards to the people
  who have been significant in their lives:  relatives, playmates,
  babysitters, their favourite waitress at a local family restaurant, the
  ice cream delivery woman, and so on.

• Let your children’s bedrooms be the last rooms you pack up. Preserve your
  children’s bedrooms as much as possible so that they will have a safe
  place to go if they feel sad or overwhelmed.

• Involve your children in the packing of their own bedrooms. Older children (ten
  years and over) should be able to pack their own bedrooms by
  themselves, with minimal supervision. Younger children can help you
  pack a few boxes of their favourite things. As you pack, remind your
  children that they will see the boxes again in their new home.
  Children of all ages will have fun decorating the moving boxes with
  stickers, glitter pens, and markers.

• Have your children create their own “survival kits” for the move. The
  survival kit, which can be a box, suitcase or maybe a rucksack, will
  come along with your child during the move. It should contain all of
  your child’s most treasured toys, magazines, stuffed animals, games,
  and so on. Check the survival kit before you go to make sure your child
  has not overlooked anything very important.