Moving home can be stressful on its own and if you’re moving home with children it can make your move feel even more chaotic. There is a lot to plan and organise and at the same your kids might not be very happy or understanding with the new moving plans. No matter if you have younger children or teenagers, it’s always good to prepare everyone in the family for the move, and even better to prepare as a family.

Here are our top tips for how to make your move stress free when moving home with kids and how to get the whole gang in on the action!

1. Start with talking to your child– moving often means a big change, and an especially big change for your child if you are moving to a new area. It’s important that you take the time and talk to your child about the move and explain to them why you are moving, and also listen to their questions and how they feel about it. Make sure that they know that you care about their opinion and their feelings. If you have very young children, it might be easier to explain the move through telling a story, there are several children’s books focused around moving which are helpful for this.

2. Involve your children in the move – visit the new house and let your kids help decide how to decorate their rooms and perhaps also have an input on how to decorate the rest of the house. Also bring your children with you when you go furniture shopping and when you’re looking for things for the new home so that they feel involved.

3. Explore the new area with your kids – if you’re moving to a new area, look up the main attractions in this area and take a day (before your moving day) to go there and explore. Go for a picnic in the park, try out one of local restaurants or just have a stroll around the neighbourhood. This allows your children to familiarise themselves with the area before the big move.

4. Party time – Throw one last party in your old home as a way for your kids to say good-bye to your house, and see you soon to their friends. This is a good way to get your kids excited about something surrounding your move.

5. Book your move online with Man and Van Move Bournemouth – Booking online will save you a lot of time, and if you add packing and unpacking to your move plan, it will save you both time and make your move stress free.

6. Kids essentials box – Pack a box especially for the kids, with their favorite teddy that they can’t go to bed without, and other things to make them feel at home in your new place for the first night.

7. Unpacking – If you have a lot of boxes and not everything can be unpacked by the first night, focus on unpacking the boxes with the things for your children’s rooms first, so that they feel at home the first night. When you’re done with the unpacking you can also build cool playhouses from the boxes, something that the kids will love.

8. Keep to your routines – Try to adapt to your old routines as soon as possible when you’ve moved to your new house, such as dinner times and bed times for your children. This is especially important if you have younger children so that they feel a sense of familiarity in their new home.

9. Go back and visit – If you’ve moved away from where you lived before, try to go back and visit your old area with your children. This gives your children the opportunity to stay in touch with their old friends and it helps them to process the move.

10. Party time (again) – Why not throw a house-warming party to celebrate the fact that you’ve moved? If you’ve moved far, this is a great way to get to know the new neighbours and for your children to meet the kids in your neighbourhood. You can also let your children invite their new classmates. If you haven’t moved too far, throw a party with your friends and family and let your children invite their friends and let them see that the move wasn’t such a big difference. Happy moving!