Moving house is tough for everyone, but my number one tip to ease the transition is to make a homemade moving book.
I’ve moved five times with kids in the past seven years. My husband is in the Army, which means we frequently have to say goodbye to homes, friends, schools, and cities that we love. The changes are hard for all of us, but our young kids especially struggle to understand the abstract concept of moving.
So before each transition, I make a homemade moving book. It’s a simple project that helps my kids tell the story of our move and understand the big changes ahead. (Check out my reel sharing my homemade moving book here.)
The book explains where we live now, why we are moving, where we will go and when, and how we will pack up our house and transform our new place into our home. I include specifics about military life, like whether we’ll live on base. But the book is a valuable tool for all families who are moving, military or not . . . whether across town or across the world.
I customize the book for each of my kids, mentioning their current schools and teachers and how those will change. Also, I add photos from past moves and am sure to emphasize the adventures ahead at our next home.
I print a book for each kid via Shutterfly, though you could use any photo book service or even print it yourself at home.
Here’s what I put on each page with my son Arthur’s book as the example:
Page 1.
A photo of Arthur with the text: “My name is Arthur. I am 4 years old.”
Page 2.
A photo of the people he lives with. “I live with Dada, Mama, my brother, my sister, and my dog, Luna.”
Page 3.
A photo of your current house. “I live at (address) in Kansas. We live on post with other military kids.”
Page 4.
This page explains why we’re moving, with a photo of that why. Ours has a picture of Dad in his uniform and says: “Dada is an officer in the Army. His job means he has to move to new places a lot. We move with him so we can all stay together.”
Page 5.
A photo of your new location. “That’s why we will move to Albuquerque, New Mexico, this summer. We will live off post in a neighborhood with lots of different people, some in the military, some not.”
Page 6.
Sell the move! Include photos of fun things! “We will get to do lots of fun things in Albuquerque like go hiking, visit national parks, take the tram, and ski.”
Page 7.
Explain what this move means for your child. “I will go to a new school. It will be like (current school), but it will have different teachers and different kids. Some kids may be military kids, but others won’t be.”
Page 8.
Emphasize some things will be the same. “The new teachers will be there to help me and answer questions just like (current teachers) did. The kids will take care of each other just like at (current school).”
Page 9.
Mention activities, especially ones that will be the same. “We will find new activities like soccer.”
Page 10.
This gets into the timeline of moving. “We will move to Albuquerque in the summer, after the end of the school year at (school name). We will bring all of our furniture, books, and toys with us. Luna will come too.”
Page 11.
Emphasize you will help your child with this big transition. “Mama and Dada will be there for me when I feel sad or scared. When I have questions or need help, they will be there for me.”
Page 12.
More logistics. If you’ve moved before, include photos of the moving truck, things in boxes, and other visual representations of what moving looks like. “We will take apart all of our furniture and pack our clothes, books, and toys in boxes. Then we will load them on a big moving truck.”
Page 13.
The goodbyes ahead. Include photos of friends on this page. “We will say goodbye to the people who are important to us, like our friends, classmates, and teachers. We will probably feel sad when we say goodbye, and that’s ok. But we can send letters and FaceTime our friends after we move. We will meet new friends in Albuquerque too.”
Page 14.
More moving logistics and timeline. Include a photo from a past road trip or flight if you will fly to your new home. “We will drive all day to get to Albuquerque. We’ll have books to read, tablet to watch and food to eat in the car.”
Page 15.
Start to explain the new house and whether you’ll be in temporary housing for a bit. It’s OK if this page is vague. I add a photo of the kids in a hotel. “When we get to New Mexico, we may have to stay in a hotel for a few days. Or our new house may be ready right away.”
Page 16.
Information about the new house. I include a photo of a current room in our house, usually the living room or playroom. “When our new house is ready, we’ll unload all of our things from the moving truck and put them in our new home. We will get settled into our house and make it feel nice for us.”
Page 17.
Re-emphasize that we will support each other. “We will be there for each other when we are feeling confused or need help.”
Page 18.
If your child has moved before, mention that on the next two pages and include photos of past houses. “I have moved before and I can do it again, even if it feels hard.”
Page 19.
“New Mexico will be the third state I have lived in. I was born in Colorado, then moved to Kansas. Now, I’m moving to New Mexico.”
Page 20.
Closing statement again highlighting the fun ahead with a photo of family having fun. “We will have lots of adventures together in Albuquerque!”
Check out my other tips for moving with young kids in this article.
Originally published March 2025.
