Why Kids Struggle With Moving Day And What You Can Do To Help Them

The day you move house can be a very hard time for all. It’s a rush, it’s quite stressful, you can lose things easily, and it’s not just the kids who might shed a few tears. They’re likely to shed the most, of course, and that's something that’s stressful for any parent to see! 

Indeed, kids can find moving harder than anyone else in the world. They’re leaving behind a home they know to go elsewhere, and that’s quite a difficult thing to wrap their young brains around. 

Thankfully there’s quite a few ways to make moving with kids a lot easier, but sometimes you’ll need to dig into the why behind their feelings too. When you do, you’ll understand their struggle a lot better - and that’ll make the solution you come up with ten times better too. 

So with all that in mind, here are some of the most common reasons kids struggle with moving day, as well as what you can do to help them cope. 

They Might Not Be Sure What’s Going on

Have you stopped to ask your child if they know what’s really going on right now? They’ve probably picked up a lot, from the packing boxes, moving van, and hearing the adults talk about it, but have you taken a proper moment to explain things to them? 

It’s often the case that in the rush to get packed up and moved out, we forget to explain the actual details to our children! It happens to all parents at some point or another!

And that’s why this is a good thing to double check first of all. You need to be sure your child has a concrete idea of what’s going on and what they can expect. When they know the ins and outs of moving day, they’re likely to find it a lot less stressful! 

Even if it’s 2 days until you have to give the keys back on the old property, sit your child down and ask them about moving day. 

Do they know what it means? Do they have any questions for you? Do they want to talk about any feelings they’re having right now? Any of these questions can make a big difference in what they’re experiencing! 

The Move Comes with a Lot of Other Changes

You’re not just moving house. Your child has a new bedroom to sleep in. They have a new neighborhood to get used to. They may even have a new school they need to go to. 

All of these things are big, separate changes that come with moving house. They’re also a lot to deal with, even when you’re an adult. 

After all, many adults struggle with moving, as it often means needing to find a new job and make new social connections in the area. That feeling is magnified a thousand times when you’re a kid and have no control over any of these changes! 

That’s why you should try to give a little bit of this control back to them. Make sure they can pick the new color and decor scheme for their bedroom, and let them pick what club they’re most interested in trying out. 

And if you’re going to bake something to take over to the neighbors, let them choose the baked goods you’re putting together. 

These little choices can make kids feel a lot better on both moving day and beyond. 

Kids Can Find it Hard to Get Used to Something New

It’s something that comes with being a kid, pure and simple. Every single day of your life is a learning experience where you have to pick up something new, and now you’ve got a lot of new things to try and get used to. 

You can help to temper this kind of reaction by letting them take on the moving day change bit by bit. Let them pack their own moving box, for example, and give them more unstructured time to explore the new house. 

Everything Happening Around Them is Quite Overwhelming!

Like we said above, moving day is quite the rush! It’s a day when things are non stop, going in and out of the house, new people coming round, there’s a lot of noise and movement. 

Simply put, not only is it a big distraction for a child, but it’s quite the overwhelming one too!

And there are a lot of kids out there who don’t cope very well with feelings of being overwhelmed. It’s simply too much, too ‘weird’, and leaves them wanting to cry, lash out, and even throw tantrums. 

If your child has been diagnosed with autism or another neurodevelopmental condition, this is twice as likely to be the cause behind their hatred of moving day. 

Feel free to download an app like Autism 360 for a bit of extra support during this time. Moving house can be quite the trigger, and you’re allowed to say you need help to help your child right now. 

Another good thing you can do is create a ‘calm zone’, where both you and your child can go to get away from everything else. This can be somewhere like the car, the new garden, or even just sitting outside a little ways down from the new house. 

Let your child know this is somewhere to go when they need a breather, and they’re allowed to spend as much time in this one place as they need. 

Moving Day Struggles: What Parents Can Do To Help Their Kids

Anyone can have moving day struggles, but kids tend to get them the worst. 

If your child seems to be struggling with the idea of moving into a new house, take stock of the reasons above and see if any of them fit. 

If they do, use the tips to help your child stay calm and settle in. It’s always much easier to get used to a new house when your parents are there to help you!