Moving can be an especially traumatic experience for youngsters.   More than anything else children fear the unknown:  What will my new school be like? Who will my new friends be?  Can I still be a scout?  Will I ever see my old friends again?  Will my new room be as nice as my old room?  The more information you give a child in advance about their new environment the more secure they will be.

One way to ease their emotional transition is to make them part of the move.

Give children their own sorting and packing to do, and assign age-appropriate tasks, such as filling out change of address forms or helping with pets.

On moving day children can help load the car and come along on the final sweep through the house.

Before you leave, visit children's favorite places together and take pictures for a scrapbook.  Get friend's photographs and addresses, along with stationary for your child to write them along the way.

Most importantly, help your children form a positive mental image of your family's destination.  If they have never seen their new home, show them pictures of the new house and neighborhood, including their new school.

Change is stressful for parents and children alike, but together you can transform your anxiety to excitement about your family's new home.

Moving day can be a very traumatic and potentially dangerous experience for an animal, with doors and gates left open to accommodate the activities of the movers who are busy jostling furniture and have little time to watch out for pets.  You may wish to place your pet with a boarder or friend until the house is empty and you are ready  to leave.  When transporting your pet, you have a number of options, each with its own precautions.

Children’s Books on Moving

For preschoolers, suggested books are:

Moving Day by Toby Tobias
I’m Moving by Martha Whitman Hickman
Moving by Wendy Watson

Good choices for children 5 to 8 include:

I Don’t Live Here! By Pam Conrad
I’m Not Moving by Penelope Jones
Moving Molly by Shirley High

For pre-teens, good choices include:

Lost and Friend by Jean Little
Circle of Giving by Ellen Howard
Anastasia Again by Lois Lawry
Aldo Applesauce by Johanna Hurwitz
Mildred Murphy &
How Does Your Garden Grow by Phyllis Green