House Move With Children Planner
When to tell them, when to tell the school, whether to move mid-year, and the check-in six weeks later that most families forget.
Guidance on telling children about a house move runs opposite to instinct: about two weeks' notice suits under-fives, who cannot hold a distant future, while teenagers need eight or more because the move is happening to their friendships.
House Move With Children Planner
Frequently asked
Is it bad to change schools mid-year?
It is harder than moving at a break — the child arrives into settled friendship groups and part-taught units — but research on school mobility finds the effect is driven far more by how many moves a child has had and how well the new school inducts them than by the month. One well-supported mid-year move is not a problem; three moves in four years is.
What is the six-week check-in?
Six to eight weeks after a move is when the novelty has gone and the friendships have not arrived yet, and it is where children who seemed fine start to struggle. Putting the date in the calendar in advance is the entire technique.
Should children see the new house before the move?
Where it is possible, yes — including the route to school and where the nearest park is. Children's anxiety about moving is overwhelmingly concrete rather than abstract, and concrete anxieties are answered by seeing the place.
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