Help Relocating with Children

Kids often have a tough time moving. It's not easy to leave friends, school, sports teams, or familiar surroundings. Kids can also get angry with parents for disrupting their lives.

The most successful relocations are the ones in which parents take their children's concerns into consideration from Day 1.

What can a parent do to 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 not, bring pictures and videos of the new city, school, neighborhood, and new home.
• When you arrive, take time out from unpacking to have some family fun exploring the new town.

As you plan your move, don't forget to pick up school and medical records prior to relocation. It's much easier to get these documents in person than by long distance, and it's invaluable to have them in-hand when you enroll your children in their new schools.

Relocating Your Preschooler

Preschoolers typically are quicker to adjust in new surroundings than older children, so long as parents are nearby. Their biggest fears are being separated from parents or being "left behind."

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

Relocation your Elementary School-Age Child

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

Plan a moving/goodbye party for your elementary school-age kids, and stage a new home welcome celebration. Be sure to ask your real estate relocation specialist for information about extracurricular options for kids that can help them feel at home.

Relocating with Teenagers

Teens hate to move. Their friends are the center of their world and "fitting in" is their greatest concern.