Making moving with kids simple! Whether you're relocating in the Bay Area or Sacramento, our real estate expertise will help ensure a smooth transition for the whole family.

Moving can be a stressful and traumatic event for children, which shouldn’t come as a surprise when even fully grown adults find changing homes overwhelming. Even if you’re excited about the prospect of a new town, bigger house, or change of scenery, understand that your children may be filled with uncertainty about leaving a place they’re comfortable in and going someplace unknown. The good news is that it’s going to be okay. Kids are resilient, and with loving guidance from adults in their lives, they can embrace the exciting parts of moving and adapt to their new environment. Below are some helpful tips for handling the prospect of moving with children.

Help them visualize the move

Sometimes, when picturing a change is left to our imaginations, it can run wild and conjure up the worst. Help children prepare for moving by explaining in detail what will happen and when. If you have pictures of the new house or new town, show them. If you can take them to explore their new home ahead of time, that would be even better. Give them a list of things that will stay the same. For example, you can say, “I will still make you breakfast every morning before school. We will still do our grocery shopping at the same store. Grandma and Grandpa will still come over every Sunday to have dinner. Your bed and toys will all come with us to the new house.” 

Be accepting of their feelings, and share yours

It’s normal for anyone, especially children, to have a lot of strong feelings about moving. It’s essential that you allow your children to express their feelings in a loving, accepting way. Although it may be hard to hear intense, negative emotions from your child, giving them room to express their fears and anxieties will help relieve them and make them feel loved and supported by you. You should also share your feelings to help them feel connected and like what they are experiencing is normal. You can say, “I’m really excited about having a bigger kitchen in the new house, but sometimes I also feel really sad about leaving this home where we have so many memories.”

Stick to routines as much as possible

Whether you’re still at the old house and there are moving boxes all over your floor or if you’re already getting settled into the new house, try to keep your daily routines as much as possible. This will give your children a sense of comfort and familiarity as their days take on much of the same rhythm and cadence as usual. Even though their surroundings might be different, they can count on dinner being at the same time every day, having a story read to them before bed, and spending quality time with family during Friday game nights. This can also be a great time to create new traditions and routines that will carry you throughout the move. Perhaps the first thing you do when you move to a new town is find your favorite pizza joint and pledge to visit it one Saturday a month. It will give your children something to look forward to, a sense of comfort and predictability.

Whether you’re moving across the country or just across town, moving can be stressful for families, especially children. However, by following these tips and providing unconditional love and support to your children, you can tackle the change with ease and minimal discomfort.