Help Your Child Cope with Moving Anxiety: Tips for Moving with Kids

“I thought the hardest part of moving out of our neighborhood was the fact I was going to need to find somewhere else to get a great coffee each morning,” Eleanor said. “It never once dawned on me that I was going to have to deal with my nine-year-old daughter having a meltdown about the move each and every morning.”

Some children greet the news of an impending household move with joy and excitement. Others hate the idea and fight it with every fiber of their being.  If your kid doesn’t want to move, you’ll want to find out why. Understanding why your child feels the way they do can be the first step in making them feel better.

Children & Change: When Kids are Scared of Moving

One of the most common reasons children don’t want to move is they’re afraid of the unknown. Currently, they know what their home looks like, what their neighborhood looks like, what their school looks like, and what their social circle looks like. A move will mean a change to some or all of that. While it’s impossible to answer all of a child’s concerns about what the future will be like accurately, you can help them alleviate some of their anxiety with pictures of the new home, community, and school that’s in their future.

Social Connections Are Important to Children Too

Another reason children resist the idea of moving is that they’re terrified of losing contact with their friends and family members. Children do not always understand that a move doesn’t mean they lose the ability to visit, see or talk with the people they care about. Let your kids know what types of connections are available to them. In the case of a local move, your child may be able to visit in person; when you’ve moved a long distance, visits may have to take place over Skype or other messaging apps.

Be Prepared to Support Your Child Before, During, and After the Move

Every child is different. They will express their emotions in their own unique way. Some children who are very angry and vocal in advance of a move go through the actual moving process with relative calm and settle in quickly. Other children may seem to have no concerns at all about moving, but when the packing starts and the movers show up at the door, they have a meltdown. As a parent or caregiver, you need to give your child your love and support at any point in the process. Sometimes it is easier for families if the actual move takes place while the children are in school or are otherwise occupied: we will certainly work with you to make that happen! Our role is to make moving with kids as stress free and simple as possible for everyone!