How to Tell Your Kids You Are Moving
can be an exciting time for adults – but for kids, they might not fully understand why you have to move and may feel sad or angry about leaving their friends and their comfort zone.
One thing is that you should be honest about your move. Don’t just surprise them one-week or the day before your move. Kids are resilient and parents shouldn’t underestimate them. Now, explaining the details of why you’re moving depends on the age of your kids. For young kids in nursery or kindergarten, they probably don’t need to know the details of your move, but as they get older they want to know more.
If you’re moving long distances for reasons of divorce or you’re losing your house, (or other similar occurrences) make sure you let your kids know that it’s not their fault. Reassure them that things will get better in some ways and it’s important to get them all excited about the good things – moving or decorating their own rooms
, exploring a new neighborhood, finding new friends etc.
Once you do decide about moving with family
, start telling your kids to allow them time to prepare. Just be straight up and honest, but don’t forget to add some of the good things about moving. You can say something like “Daddy (or Mommy) got a new job, and so we’re moving to a new house in another city. Now, I know you may feel sad about leaving this house, and it’s ok to be sad. But, think of all the fun we’ll have – driving to our new house in a big truck and all the new friends you’ll have. You can still keep in touch with your friends here and you’ll have lots of stories to tell them.”
One way you can help kids adjust to the idea of moving is to have them “help.” You can start by printing up a calendar and letting them cross out the days until you move. If you’re having a garage sale to get rid of some things, let your kid help you put stickers prices and let them take money and count change (if they’re old enough) on the day itself. Also, let them “take charge” of packing up their room. If you want to have a little fun, you can read books about moving with them or watch some fun movies (like Toy Story
The important thing to remember is to be honest and allow your kids to feel the way they feel, but at the same time, reassure them that everything will be ok.