Moving with children is mostly about keeping their routines as normal as possible while everything around them changes. Here is the plan that the parents on our team actually use.

Kids cope with moving better when they have a job to do and a box that is entirely theirs.

Start talking about the move early, show them the new place if you can, and let them pack their own special box.

• Four weeks out: tell them, show photos, visit the new neighbourhood
• Three weeks out: let them choose what to give away
• Two weeks out: pack their rooms last, not first
• Moving day: arrange a sitter or a friend’s house
• First night: set up their beds before anything else

On the first night in the new home, unpack the kids’ rooms before the kitchen. A familiar bed and a nightlight help more than a working coffee machine.