Moving Houses with Kids? Here’s How You Can Make it Easy For Them

You got a proposition for a promotion but you must relocate. The offer is just so good and you know it will be an immense support for your finances. Or perhaps, you and your wife just decided that moving to a different neighborhood will give your household an improved life. Whatever the purpose may be, there will always be someone in the family who is not jumping up and down in anticipation. It’s heartbreaking if it’s one of the kids since you know in your heart that the change is for them. So, how do you prepare them for the big news and for the huge change?

Kid’s Wish List: Ask for everybody’s idea. Do they want a bigger backyard? Do they want their own room? Do they want to transform the basement to a playroom? Ask for their thoughts so they will feel that they are being involved in the plan. Compromise with them if you can’t afford a house with a pool or a house nearby the beach then maybe you could look for a house with a big backyard where you can set up a pool or play water guns.  Just make them feel that their decision is also vital.

Go House Hunting:  Now that you have a list of what do they want in their new home, house hunting will be easier. Ask them to do it with you, bring them along open houses. If you are searching online and they are not around, bookmark the page and show it to them later on.

Kid’s Room Blueprint:  Let your kids plot on how their room should look like. Show them paint swatches so they can pick which colors to use for their rooms. Make it an art task for them. Ask them to show you their plan or do it with them. Use snapshots of the things in her old bedroom and ask them to show you where they want it in their new room. If your kid loves his new room, then he will be enthusiastic in moving in the new home.

The Treasure Chest: If you have a little kid, then this might work for them. Give your child a carton and tell him that it will be his treasure chest from now on. Tell him that he could adorn it and make it look special because that is where he will put his most cherished items. Tell him that he must carry it with him in the car on the day of the move so he could keep it securely beside him. Do not scold him if he saves a lot of useless stuff in his treasure chest, remember, it’s a treasure for him so he will want to bring it along with him.

Farewell Party: It doesn’t have to be a grand one. Just a simple chips and dips party will do. Just give them the venue to say goodbye to their friends.

Farewell Park, Farewell Swing:  Take your kids on a visit around your neighborhood. Take them to their favorite spots. It’s as if allowing them say goodbye to the places that has been a part of their growing up.

Scrap Booking: Make a blank scrap book that they can fill with photographs of their memories in the old house and old neighborhood. Put pictures of them and their friends and make sure there is a spot there where they can place the contact details of their friends. Let them know that they can still be friends and keep in touch in spite of the distance.

Farewell My Dear Home: On your last dinner together, drop those packaging tapes first and have your family sit down round the dining table and reminisce with them your favorite recollections in the house. This may bring tears but it will also bring laughter. Tell them that certainly you won’t forget those memories but you are thrilled in what new memories you could build in the new house. Share with them your plans for the weekend and other activities in the new house and the new neighborhood.

Moving houses make your children feel that they don’t have any control with the plan. That is why it is significant to let them join in the decision making for them to know that their judgment is also important as they are a part of the family.