
Gone are the days when you packed a small bag and vanished over the horizon on the hippy trail. Now you’ve got two kids, a dog and a huge house to pack, and that’s before you’ve even thought about your own bag. Print out this list and refer back when chaos strikes. Everything really can be awesome when moving with kids.
Breaking the news
“We’re off!” might work just fine for the really tiny ones, but older children need easing into the idea of your move with a bit more tact:
Tell the whole family together – make time to sit down and discuss your plans, preferably over a fun meal like pizza.
Get out the atlas and play spot the country – point out where you’re moving to and go online together to look at some photos. We also suggest doing the same when house-hunting: browse property sites together, get their opinion, include everyone where possible.
Look on the bright side
Avoid the blame game – it may well have been Mummy or Daddy’s job that’s taking you overseas, but the kids need to know this was a group decision and you’re all in it together. Give everyone a piece of paper and get them to write a wish list of the things they’ll most look forward to.
Smile! You’re not going to war, this is your big adventure.
Boring but important
Make sure the whole family is up to date with vaccinations (find and bring their vaccination booklets), and order enough prescriptions to keep you going for the first few weeks until you find a doctor.
Got everyone’s original birth certificate? Keep these in a file and take as carry-on.
Make sure passports are current and have enough validity. Get everyone some spare passport photos, you never know when the little pics will come in handy.
School reports, certificates – pack them all with you, just in case.
Packing
Now’s the time to take up all those offers of kiddy care – farm the littlies out, turn up the music and get sorting, quick, before they all pile back in again and mess up your system. This could be your best opportunity to have the mother of all clearouts, especially if you’re needing to downsize. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater and chuck absolutely everything out – let each family member hold on to a few favourite things that will help them settle on the other side.
Grab this great opportunity to get everyone involved; the teens can be bribed with a crisp note (or two) and the smaller children will feel valued and included if you can get them to pack storage items in paper, stack old books in boxes, carry things in and out of the boot at the local dump.
Packers will do the move itself while you direct (calmly, right?) from the sidelines. If the kids are at home while the movers are there, break out the electronic gadgets and snacks and confine all the children to one room, away from the action.
Include some familiar things from the kids’ rooms (best toys, rolled-up posters) in your allocated short-term luggage to unpack in the new bedrooms on arrival – even if you’re only moving into temporary accommodation, these little goodies will add an instant touch of home to the unfamiliar new place once you arrive.
Saying goodbye
Dog days – have any pets adopted with enough time for you all to get used to being without them before you leave. You don’t want to be saying goodbye the day before you board a long-haul flight to the Orient. Give yourselves time for tricky send-offs.
Last suppers – if you can’t handle a farewell party or simply don’t have the time, add in a couple of play dates or kids’ meals as the day draws near. Children like visual records, and pictures of friends snapped during the meals will go nicely in a scrapbook.
Penpals – give each child their own address book and have them fill it up. A promise of maintained connections will go a long way and you can double it up as an autograph book, with each friend writing a little note by their name.
Make a date – get some Skype and FaceTime dates booked in and involve the kids in these plans. And draw up a countdown calendar.
Brave new world
Arrange to call a family member at home when you arrive. Making a quick connection back home will help reassure the smalls that they haven’t landed on the moon.
Bring little snack bags to give as familiar treats and don’t think of it as spoiling; today is not the day to instill that new healthy eating regime.
Explore! Use the pool, get out in the sun, walk to the local ice cream stand – these little adventures will help everyone embrace your brand new home. This is your brave new world, and the fun starts now.
If you’re ready to start the hunt for a new school, check out our handy school selector tool!