We moved from Germany two weeks ago and this is our tenth move in fifteen years of marriage. Moving home when you have children is very different from when you move home as a couple. There are definitely things that you can do to make the transition easier for your child.
As some of you may be moving over the holidays so you are ready for the new school year or simply may have children that are starting school or moving school I thought it would be helpful to give you some guidance on making changes like this easier on your children and so easier on you.
1. As soon as you know about the move start to talk to your children about it and answer any questions that they have about it.
2. Share information with your children about the new place that you are going to. You can research it online together or send for information from the tourist board in the area you are moving to.
3. As soon as you know that you are moving do research about the schools in the local area. You might even want to check schools in the local area before you commit to the move. Read the OFSTED reports for state schools or the ISI reports for independent schools. Find out if they are oversubscribed. For private schools you may need to pay a deposit for your child’s name to go on the list for the particular school year that they are going to enter at. The Tatler school’s guide is a fun read on private schools.
When estate agents write that there are good schools in the area this really is worth investigating further.
4. If possible visit the area that you are going to be moving to before the move with your child. It may also be possible to visit their new school or to join in on the day where all the current pupils at a school meet their new teacher for the coming year.
5. Involve your child in preparing for the move. You could ask your child’s friends to help decorate a packing box for their toys.
6. Accept and acknowledge feelings. When your child has a wobble about the move acknowledge how they are feeling rather than launching into pointing out all the positives.
7. Talk to your child about their new bedroom and reassure them that their toys can come to the new house too.
8. Get age appropriate books from the library about moving house and read them together.
9. Stay in communication with your child’s current school about the move so that they can get more of a picture of what your child is experiencing as you come closer to the move.
10. When you have moved don’t spend every last minute unpacking boxes. Take some time to explore your local area, even if that means finding out where the nearest park is.
I’d love to hear if you are moving this summer and how the preparation is going for it. Let me know in the comments below.
I’d love to offer you a free 15 minute pitch free mini-session to help you with an aspect of your mothering journey and to help you to a life that feels lovely. You can book one here:
