Moving With Young Children

You may be looking at your move as an exciting experience with new places to explore and new challenges ahead.

But if you look at this relocation through the eyes of your children, it’s an experience that can be very traumatic. They will be leaving their friends, their school, their clubs and sports and all that is familiar. And they will often blame you for disrupting their lives.

That’s why it’s very important for parents, from day one, to take their children’s concerns into consideration. Those who do, usually have far more successful moves.

Here are some ways parents can ease moving stress for kids:

• Take an upbeat approach to the "adventure of moving."
• Involve your children in relocation planning.
• Take kids to visit the new city in advance if you can. If that is not possible, bring pictures and videos of the new city, school, neighborhood, and of the new home.
• When you arrive to your new home, take time out from unpacking to have some family fun exploring your new town.

Relocating Your Preschooler

Typically, preschoolers adjust far more quickly to new surroundings than older children, so long as their parents are nearby. Their biggest fears at this stage are being separated from parents or being "left behind."

You can deal with these fears by setting up their room in the new home as quickly as possible and by maintaining their daily schedules.

Relocation and your Elementary School-Age Child

Kids in elementary school mostly worry about how their daily routines will change after a move. Will they have to give up activities like soccer or ballet? Will they like their new teacher? Will they be able to make new friends?

A good way to ease the transition is by planning a moving/goodbye party for your elementary school-age kids then stage a new home welcome celebration. Also be sure to ask your real estate relocation specialist for information about extracurricular activities for kids that can help them jump in and feel more at home socially.

Don’t Forget School Records

When you go to enroll your kids in their new schools, you will want to have their school and medical records in hand. So don’t forget to pick these things up as you plan you move because they will be more difficult to obtain once you are in your new city.

Learn More about Corporate Relocation

If you are moving for professional reasons and need the services of a Corporate Mobility Specialist or a Relocation Professional, we recommend that you work with a Virginia State Police Association SMARTMOVE® coordinator that has the specialized knowledge to serve you.