Moving to a new home

A social story about moving to a new house, for a 5–9 year old, with room for what they will miss

A social story about moving to a new house should carry both directions: what is coming with you and what is being left. Collect a few concrete details from each home, agree on a first-night ritual, and read the script below before moving day.

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Use it tonight

Read this to your child before moving day

Name the real date and the real journey. Leave the sentence about missing the old home in, even if the move is a good one.

  1. Soon we will carry our boxes to a different house, and all of our things are coming with us.
  2. You can pick one box to keep beside you, and we will open that one first.
  3. Your bed, your blanket and your toys are coming; it is the house that changes.
  4. You are allowed to miss our old kitchen, even on a day when the new room is nice.
  5. On the first night I will put your nightlight up before we unpack anything else.
Use the story in real life

Prepare, rehearse, then make it true.

A personalized book works best when its details match what your child will actually experience. These pointers help you shape the story — and keep using it after the day arrives.

Before creating

Gather reliable details

Collect a few concrete details from both homes: the last familiar breakfast, the travel plan, where a favorite object will be packed, and what can be unpacked first.

Before the event

Practice a small next step

Invite the child to choose a first-room ritual, such as placing a nightlight or hanging one picture. Include things they may miss instead of presenting the move as only exciting.

Afterward

Keep the book honest

Add one real discovery after arrival—a nearby tree, a hallway sound, or the route to school. The story can connect old and new memories without asking the child to choose between them.

Example book

Read one before you make your own.

The example book below uses one treasured object to connect the old home, the boxes in between, and the room that becomes theirs. Sprokle does not diagnose a child or replace professional advice.