Smoothing your move with children—it’s their new home too

Fortunately, moving into a new home is a time of happy anticipation for most of our clients. Having found their dream home, they look forward to enjoying its features and putting their own stamp on it. It can also be an anxious time, with a lot of preparation and work needed for the move to go off without a hitch.

While the grownups worry about practical matters, the smallest members of the family can experience their own anxiety and even distress about moving. For young children who may be leaving the only home they’ve known, it can be a confusing and scary time. For example, they might worry that:

  • Grandma and Grandpa won’t be able to find the new house
  • they will never see their neighbourhood playmates again
  • they won’t be able to find their way home to the new place
  • their toys will get lost in all the packing boxes.

Older children have their own worries. While they have a better understanding of the moving process, they will have legitimate concerns about the potential effects of the move on their friendships and activities.

Knowledge helps overcome fear

To help your children adjust to the idea of moving house, involve them in the process as much as possible. Show them on a map where your current and new homes are and explain how long it takes to travel between them. If possible, take them to visit the new home before moving day; point out the features of the new home that will interest them and show them their new rooms. If your children will be changing schools take them to see where the new ones are located.

If you’re doing your own packing, ask older children to help tape up and label boxes. Ensure that the little ones’ favourite toys are left out of boxes to travel with them on moving day.

Once you have moved in, take your children to the nearby homes and introduce your family to the neighbours. It will help the new neighbourhood to seem less intimidating if the children know the neighbours by sight and name, plus you’ll discover which nearby homes have children too.

Depending on their ages and maturity, have your children accompanied by a parent or responsible person on their visits to school, activities, and local shops and playgrounds, until they feel comfortable in their new environment.

Stressed parents equal stressed children

If there is one thing guaranteed to make children worry about moving house, it’s knowing that their parents are worrying about it. Be kind to yourselves during the process. Take time off work if possible and don’t worry about having things perfect at the new house from day one. If you are able to adopt a relaxed attitude your children will be less inclined to become upset.

Our ultimate list for a smooth move

As you can imagine, Conveyancing Matters has been instrumental in a great number of successful moves. Along the way we’ve compiled a list of the must-do tasks and change-of-address notifications for ensuring a seamless transition to life in a new home. This is just one more service we provide for our clients to ease the load at a busy time. And it’s one of the rewards of our role to learn just how much our clients enjoy living in their new homes.

By | 2017-05-29T09:20:24+00:00 January 31st, 2017|Blog|0 Comments

About the Author:

Michelle Hendry is a highly skilled Certified Practising Conveyancer (CPC) with proven experience with land acquisitions and developments for various types of property, including commercial, industrial, retail and residential. In addition to Michelle’s conveyancing qualifications, Michelle has a Project Management Degree from the University of South Australia and her skill base is utilised by Conveyancing Matters and clients in all major projects. Michelle is currently a Board Member/Director of both the Australian Institute of Conveyancers South Australia Division and National. Michelle is one of South Australia’s leading conveyancing specialists to facilitate the following transactions: - Land divisions - Commercial property settlements - Business settlements