Moving House Books For Children
In a child’s mind, many of the pressures associated with an adult’s life can be either wrongly perceived or greatly exaggerated. When stressful events happen, such as moving house, moving in with your partner, or changing schools, children may need reassurance and help to deal with the kinds of stresses and emotions they will experience. Whether it’s moving a few streets away or to another country, children will still feel an impact and it is key that the idea of moving is told to them in a positive and uplifting way. Books can be a great way to facilitate that information. There are moving day children’s book that focus on almost every emotion that there is from anger and isolation through to excitement. This article lists children’s books that can help children to deal with stress during a move.
Moving Day by Ralph Fletcher
Moving day is a great moving day children’s book that is written in the form of poems and is a good moving house book for toddlers. This book follows the life of Fletcher who has recently found out that he will be moving to a new State. This book harnesses both the negative and positive emotions associated with moving and deals with them accordingly. It is a 39 page book that is written for ages 4-6 and can be purchased as a hard and soft copy.
Moving by Fred Rogers
Mr. Rogers did not only have an impact on the television screen, but also through literature. Moving is simply titled and really encompasses what those of us love about Mr. Rogers; honesty, compassion, wisdom, and caring. This thirty-two page book walks a child through the emotions such as sorrow, irritability and excitement. By the end of this moving house book a child will have read a story written by a trustworthy and unique role model for millions of other kids.
A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
This is a very clever story that is a fabulous moving house book for toddlers. This story follows Hermit Crab as he ventures out into the open sea to find a new shell after abandoning the old shell. Hermit Crab is literally moving overseas. After finding a new shell, Hermit Crab is not overly pleased with his empty home, but finds help from other sea creatures which Hermit calls his friends. This story is jam packed with great lessons to help guide impressionable children into overcoming their emotions and making the right choices. The artwork is very pretty as well. At thirty-two pages, this book is great for a K-2 reader.
A Kiss Goodbye by Audrey Penn
The famous Chester Racoon is at it again. But, this time he is portrayed in a moving house book. He is moving from one tree to another. What sets this story aside from the others is that Chester’s tree is going to be cut down and Chester has no choice but to face his fears and anxiety to move trees. After moving trees, Chester realizes that he can make his home in this other tree since his family came with him. This thirty-two page book is designed for ages 3-5.
Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move
by Judith Viorst
This book is designed for ages 5-7 and is a wonderful story about Alexander. Alexander has clear emotional issues in this story and he learns to deal with them. Judith Viorst truly captures the thoughts, feelings, and personality of an elementary child in this book. The childish slang and movement in the illustrations is relatable. This is a great young children moving book and is for children who show immediate frustration and anger at the thought of moving houses.
The Leaving Morning by Angela Johnson
The Leaving Morning is written for a slightly more mature audience, ages 5-7. This story follows an African American family who is moving from an apartment to a home. Adults everywhere immediately see this as a positive story since homes are perceived to be a better place to raise children than apartments. However, children do not think similarly. This story documents the anxiety and fast-paced emotions on the day of moving out. While this is for ages 5-7, this is not a young children moving book.
Hopefully one of these resources will help you to assist your child in overcoming any negative emotions they may have and help them learn how to deal with stress when moving house.