Moving with Children

Moving can be stressful on a family and especially so for children. Here are some of our thoughts on how to reduce stress for children when moving to a new home! We hope you find something new - share what has worked for you with us in the comments! 

Before the Move:

Communicate! Share your moving plans- and Why you are moving- over a family meal!  Assure them about their friendships & school. Let them know when things will start to change and what ‘moments’ will happen when. Consider writing it out and posting it on the fridge! This is a great time to start sorting through all of those toys sitting on the shelves!. Make it fun! Talk about your new home- A new home can be a very exciting time!

Start preparing them early! Everyone loves to look at homes online! Why not involve your kids too! Sit down and browse those online video tours like the ones  Masha creates for her clients! Those  3D model & video tours make it  easy to see homes from the comfort of your home. I think sharing home videos is a great way to include your kids! They’ll be able to take their own “virtual walkthrough” and tell you what they like! Take a few pictures of the homes you really liked- and tell them about their new bedroom, play spaces and the neighborhood!

Stay positive! Emotions are contagious. If you show that you are excited, it will help your family get excited too! Take your family to visit the new neighborhood! Explore the backyard, the new school, and other fun things nearby. Let them know  what you’re excited about - Is it the beautiful new kitchen or larger backyard? Take some time to let them know what you’re happy about! Remind them that not everything will change! Will they have the same bed, favorite toys, pets. What stays the same can give peace during a transition and make it feel less scary. 

Even with all this, expect the unexpected on Moving Day! People will be late, meltdowns can happen, questions will come up, and there will be confusion - so why not plan for it?  If you are moving with your spouse/partner, take turns being in charge of the move vs being in charge of the family. If you are moving on your own, find someone (maybe even pay for childcare) delegated off-site to spend time with your children so you can focus on the move! 

        If that is not your plan, consider giving your child some age-appropriate responsibility during moving day! Maybe they can be in charge of the dog or carry out their bag of Leggos?

Make Some Memories  & document your  move with your children! Consider having them take some pictures of your “old” house! How do you want to remember your house? Create a memory book! It’s a wonderful way to recall all the good times.

Moving can be really stressful so we hope that these tips for creating a more soothing move experience with your family are helpful! Let us know what you think and what has worked for you!

For more information, check out these resources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/13/parenting/moving-tips-kids.html

https://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/family-life/moving-help-child-adjust

Masha is a certified member of The Luxury Home Marketing Institute and participates in its annual Leaders in Luxury Conference, and works with The Institute’s thousands of members worldwide to share information about current listings.

Masha is also a certified member of Keller Williams Luxury International and is Chapel Hill & Durham's EXCLUSIVE  member of Cyber Stars International – Top Realtors Using Technology – a group dedicated to taking the best and latest technological advances and applying them to real estate advertising and marketing for her clients in all price points. Masha Halpern can be contacted for a private consultation by calling 919-951-1780 or through our contact form.