[nectar_dropcap color=”#1e83ec”]M[/nectar_dropcap]oving house is one life’s most stressful events and unfortunately children can find the whole process daunting too. If you’re relocating to an entirely new area, the thought of making new friends in a new school can be really scary! So we’ve put together some ideas of how you can help them cope through the whole process as well as a few things you can do to make the experience a little more enjoyable for them.

For some of you, the home you’re leaving will be the only house your kids have known. They’ll have formed attachments to and memories with the house and the thought of abandoning that can be distressing. You can help build up some positive associations to what will be their new neck of the woods before you even move so it doesn’t feel so alien. Research the area you’ll be moving to and find 5 (or more) things that your kids will enjoy doing, make a day of it and make it an adventure!

Some children find packing away their belongings really distressing as they think they’ll never see their stuff again. We love getting the kids to decorate the boxes because it’s a nice way to distract them for an hour or two and once the move is complete, until you’ve unpacked everything, they have something personalised in their new room. Get them to pack a moving goodie bag; their favourite sweets, toys and other items so they can retain some familiarity and comfort in the whole process. Never underestimate the power of a sticker! Kids instantly feel involved and important when they have a special sticker i.e. ‘Princess/Prince Packer’.

Turn it into a game!

Make packing and moving an adventure. Let them sleep on their mattress on the floor a week before you move while you take the bed apart, play hide and seek in the boxes or make a box castle! Get creative! If your kids are arty, you could get them to make a scrap book of all the things they want to do in your new home, or maybe they could draw some pictures to put up.