Even moving to a new home in the same city can be a lot for your kids to process, let alone moving to an entirely new state. For kids, it can feel like they're being asked to move to a new world. Here are a few strategies that you can employ to help your kids prepare emotionally and physically for moving out of state.

#1 Let Your Kids In On Your Plans

Once you know for sure that you will be moving out of state, make sure that you share that information with your child. Do not withhold this information from your child; depending on their age, they will feel hurt that you didn't share this important news with them as soon as possible.

When you share with your children that you are moving, let them know everything that you know at this point. Tell them what town they will be moving to and the basics that you know about this new location. If a moving date is already set, share that with your children as well or let them know the general timeframe of the move.

Once you have an official date set, you may want to start a countdown to moving day. Especially if you have young children, a countdown will make your moving date feel more concrete and realistic to them, and it will help you stay on top of moving-related tasks.

#2 Plan Time To Say Goodbye

It is important that you make sure that in all the moving chaos you don't forget to add in time for your children to say goodbye. Sit down with your kids and make a list off all the places that they really want to visit one last time before the move, and schedule dates with your children to visit those places.

Next, make a plan for your children to say goodbye to their friends. If you are moving during the school year, see if your child's classroom can throw a moving/goodbye party for them. If you are moving during the summer or if a classroom party is not possible, try to plan a barbecue or casual celebration where your kids can say goodbye to their friends and have one last chance to build memories with them.

When the actual moving day comes around, make sure that you are not so rushed that you don't add in a time for your kids to say goodbye. After the last mover has left, take an hour or so to walk through the house with your children, and allow them to share their favorite memories that they have from each room in your house and talk about how you'll get to take these memories with them. This final goodbye can be a great way to provide your children with closure.

Moving is never easy on kids, but it can go more smoothly if you involve them in the process and plan out how they will say their goodbyes to their favorite places, friend and home. To get help making the move as easy as possible, schedule long-distance moving services from a trusted moving company.