As exciting as relocation can be, moving to a new house also means a lot of upheaval and adjustment for the whole family. Needless to say, long-distance moving can be a very stressful experience for everyone, and especially for children. Saying goodbye to a home, close friends, school, and neighborhood can be incredibly tough on them, whether it’s the first time they’re moving away or if they’re used to moving often.

The good news is that kids are, for the most part, adaptable to change. If you’re interested in making the moving experience easy on them, there are ways to help your children cope successfully with the move. Here at Clemmer Moving & Storage, we are experts at household moving and are committed to helping the community execute smooth, organized moves to anywhere in the world. To help you prepare for your kids for your upcoming long-distance relocation, we’ve put together these tips on making the residential moving process easier on the entire family.

  1. Discuss the Move in Advance

Your kids need time to get used to the idea of moving, so talk to them openly about your plans well ahead of time. Share with them the reasons why you are moving, what you are excited about, and what makes you nervous. Being honest and open about your move is more likely to help them realize how this affects the entire family, not just them—and will hopefully help them to feel involved with the process.

Encourage them to express how they feel about the move. Let them know how they can help, from packing up to settling into your new family home, and delegate responsibilities to them so that they can participate actively in the experience from the early stages of planning.

   2. Let Them Help Choose Your New Home

Once you have compiled a shortlist of potential properties, get some feedback from your kids. Let them create a list of amenities or features they would like for their new house, and anything they wouldn’t want their new home to have.

If they are within easy driving distance, take a trip together to view the homes you have in mind. If it’s too far, take a virtual tour online. Once you have chosen your house and secured the deal, have a celebration to mark the occasion.

   3. Do Your Research About Your New Location

The more you know about the area before you move, the easier you’ll manage in your day-to-day life once you get there. Learn as much as possible about the neighborhood you’re moving to, and the entire area as well. Get your hands on any local magazines or newspapers to get inside knowledge about community events, like fairs, outdoor concerts, farmers markets, extracurricular classes or sports activities your children might be interested in. Share what you discover with your kids. Be positive about it but be realistic too. If you oversell things, it’s more likely to lead to disappointment.

   4. De-Clutter Your House Before Packing

We all accumulate things we don’t need over the years. Get your kids involved in sorting through old toys and clothes they no longer use. Once you have sorted through stuff, organize a moving sale to clear some space and make some extra cash. If you prefer, you can also sell these items online through garage sale apps like OfferUp and LetGo.

If you do have a garage sale, let the kids help. Many children love helping price items, labeling and selling them on the day of the sale. Decide in advance what you will use the extra money for, and make it new-house related—perhaps a new couch for the family room, a new videogame console, or something else everyone will enjoy.

   5. Throw a “See You Soon” Party

A going away party can seem too final to your children, especially in this day and age when it’s easy to stay connected with people over social media. Instead, throw them a “See You Later” or “See You Soon” party, which will likely be less permanent and overwhelming for them.

Remind them that they can keep in touch regularly with friends and even visit them in the future. Make sure you swap contact information with their friends’ parents if your children are very young. After you have moved, arrange meet-ups and visits to keep the friendship going.

   6. Be a Tourist in Your New Area

Once the movers have gone and you’ve done most of the unpacking in your new place, set aside some time to explore. Plan a few fun outings with the kids, and if they’ve made new friends already, invite them along too. Visit the local park, explore some museums or take a picnic to a beauty spot. Making new happy memories can help your children feel grounded and at home in their new environment.

   7. Hire Professional Movers to Help

For families with children, the days leading up to the move and the actual relocation itself can be a whirlwind of movement, activity, and sheer chaos. This can be incredibly confusing and even frightening for the children—and overwhelming for the parents, too. Sadly, in these cases, parents simply don’t have the time to spend to focus on their children when this happens with so much on their plates.

Professional movers can resolve this issue and give families everything they need to navigate through the entire process calmly. For example, Clemmer Moving & Storage can help families with strategic planning and comprehensive moving solutions designed exclusively to suit the individual needs of our customers, no matter how complex they may be.

Make Your Move a Success

Moving to a new house is something the whole family can look forward to, especially when you approach it in the right way. With change comes new adventures and opportunities, and maintaining a positive perspective and a happy attitude, even when things get stressful, will rub off on your kids. Then your move can be a rewarding experience for everyone.

From strategic planning to professional packing and crating, our expert team of residential moving specialists at Clemmer Moving & Storage provide customized services designed to help you and your entire family enjoy the perfect moving experience from start to finish. For more information about our top-rated moving company, and our affiliation as an agent of Allied Van Lines, give us a call to speak with a representative or fill out our online form to schedule a free, in-home estimate.