Moving house with children: Is moving house disruptive for a 5-year old?

Moving with children: What considerations do I need to make?

Moving house with a 5-year old

Parenting advice website, Bounty.com recommends getting children involved in the moving process early on:

“Your children can’t imagine the future so they’ll focus on their losses – like cherished friends, a favourite playground or a familiar bedroom. Reassure them old friends can still visit, and big up the new life.” 

One of the benefits of buying a new build, for those that have bought off- plan, is the opportunity to regularly visit and see the build progress. Book in with the development's sales team for visits, as there are rules around onsite safety.

Talking your child through what is happening at various stages and showing them where their room will be, keeps them informed and excited. 

Children naturally ask a lot of questions at the best of times. Moving house, as a moment of change, will likely mean they have oddly specific questions. Keep your responses straight-forward and ask what they understand or think is happening. They might ask about their friends, school, or their toys, as they try to mentally map out what might change. 

What practical tips are there for moving house with a 5-year old on the day of the move?

Giving a 5-year old child on-the-day tasks will give them a sense of pride and purpose. Secondly, it will keep them occupied for short bursts of time. Furthermore, consider putting them in charge of introducing their favourite toys to their new bedroom, or unpacking a box of their favourite books. If you have activity sheets to hand, maybe encourage them to make a poster for the door to their new bedroom. 

If you're bringing familiar items of furniture from your previous house to your new home, reconstruct their bed early on. This will help them settle in to their new surroundings, making getting them off to sleep on that first night a little bit easier. 

When you have time for a break on moving day, take your child for a supervised walk around the local area. Point things out to them that will help build mental building blocks of the surrounding environment. Make them aware of any roads with traffic that they need to be cautious of. Are there play-areas, other houses and facilities that provide markers of navigation? You might just find out the neighbours have children they can play with too.

Peace of mind for all the family

Hopefully, this advice will help moving house with children that little bit easier.

Search here from a fantastic collection of new homes in a variety of locations including the Isle of Wight, Swindon, Barnsley & East Kilbride.

Check out our 12 Tips for Moving Home with Children

We have also created a Children’s activity pack for moving day, download and print it ahead of your move and keep it handy for the big day.