A story for the child who has to leave a place they love
You're moving. For you there might be a bigger house or a fresh start in it, but your child mostly sees what gets left behind: the bedroom, the neighbour with the dog, the friend two streets over. You notice it in the questions, or in the anger that seems to come out of nowhere.
A story about moving doesn't pretend it's all exciting and fun. What it does do: it gives your child a character who doesn't want to go either, who feels sad about the old place, and who's allowed to say it's rubbish. The goodbye gets the room it deserves, instead of being brushed away with 'but you're getting a bigger bedroom'.
The story adapts to your child's age. A four-year-old mostly misses the familiar bed and the cuddly toys in their proper spot. A ten-year-old feels something heavier: the place where they belonged is gone, and they wonder who they are now without that street and those friends.
And the character takes something along from the old place: a pebble from the garden, a drawing, a memory tucked in a box. The ending doesn't promise a crowd of new friends on day one. It stays small and real: one first good moment in the new place, with the old still close in the heart.
And you don't have to get this perfect. You don't have to talk your child's sadness away or turn it into cheerfulness; the story shows that both can be true at the same time.
What this story does
- Your child is allowed to be sad and angry about leaving, without anyone saying it's not that big a deal.
- The old place is not forgotten: something comes along, an object or a memory that stays precious.
- Your child is not passive in this story; they help shape how the new place becomes their own.
- It ends with one genuinely good moment in the new place, not with a promise that everything is instantly fine again.
How the story grows with your child
Choose your child's age and see how the same theme grows with them, from toddler to almost-teen.
For a child who is 3 years old
A toddler doesn't grasp 'moving' yet, but feels that everything is strange: a different bed, a different room, different smells. The story stays close and shows that the familiar comes along too.
What that looks like
In the story mum sets the cuddly toys and the child's own things in just the right spots in the new room. The child sleeps safely, because everything is still there.
For a child who is 4-5 years old
Around this age it's very clear: the child does not want to leave the familiar place and their friends. The story acknowledges that, and also lets something new turn up that sparks curiosity.
What that looks like
The child tucks the prettiest pebble from the old garden into a little box. In the new place they discover a tree you can hide behind perfectly.
For a child who is 6 years old
Now your child misses the old friends and the neighbourhood very consciously. The story shows you can look back at the old with a smile and still see room for something new.
What that looks like
At the new place a child suddenly turns up at the gate and asks if they want to play football. A moment of hesitation, and then going anyway.
For a child who is 7-9 years old
The loss sits deeper: you don't just leave friends and familiar places behind. The story lets the child make first contact and carry something old into something new.
What that looks like
The child pins the drawing from the old class above the new desk. In the first week at the new school, one name stands out for being funny at break.
For a child who is 10-12 years old
At this age moving touches who you are: the place where you belonged is gone. The story lets the child discover that friendships and memories are not tied to an address.
What that looks like
The child sends a voice note to their old best friend and notices the joke still lands. Home is something you carry with you, and build again.
Frequently asked questions
- We're moving soon, how quickly can we have the book?
- You make and read the whole story straight away online, for free, so that part you can do together today, even right before or during the move. The printed hardcover is produced and posted afterwards. If you want it as something to hold on to around moving day, start making it in good time, so you already have the story online while the hardcover is on its way.
- My child doesn't want to move at all. Doesn't a story like this just gloss over that?
- No, and that's the whole point. The story doesn't pretend moving is only fun. The character doesn't want to go either, and is allowed to feel that. Precisely because the sadness is genuinely seen, your child feels understood rather than talked round.
- Can the story be about our own move, about our old place and our new one?
- Yes. You briefly tell us what you're leaving behind and where you're going, and the story is written around that, with your child as the main character. That way your child recognises their own situation, instead of a generic little tale about moving.
Related themes
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