1.

Make a positive good-bye to the old home and community.

Here's one of the best tips for family moving. Leave-taking rituals will help provide a sense of closure in your old home, which will make it easier for your kids to settle into the new home and new neighborhood. Here are ideas:

• A few weeks before you move, hold an informal get-together for close friends and neighbors to say good-bye.
• As a family, make a point of visiting favorite restaurants and other special places one more time before you leave.
• When the house or apartment is empty, take a room-by-room "memory walk" with your children. Recall birthday parties in the dining room, holiday events in the living room, stories of bringing the children home as babies – the kinds of memories every family has. Take a last stroll around the outside too.
• Compare how the house feels empty to how it felt with your belongings there. Chances are your children will get an inkling that what really makes a home is the family and your personal things – furniture, pictures, dishes, books, toys.

2.

Plan a welcoming ritual for your new home.

It can be anything that will have meaning for your children and you. For example:

• If the kids are seeing the house for the first time, do a walk-through together to "meet" your new home before your belongings fill the rooms.
• As a family, plant a tree or bush outside as a symbol that this is your home now. If it's wintertime, start something inside that you can transplant in the spring.
• Gather together to hang a family photograph or find a place for an object that is special to your family. If you've always had a swing or a bird feeder in the backyard, make an event of putting the new one up in this home.

3.

Have everyone's "survival necessities" where you can find them immediately in the new home.

That may be "blankie" for baby, favorite pj's for your preschooler, essential CD or sweatshirt for your teen, and the coffee pot for you! Pack a “must haves” suitcase or box for each family member – anything that would cause crying or raise blood pressure if it were missing in action for long. Your first days in your new home—especially that first night and morning—will be so much more pleasant when everyone has the familiar things that make them comfortable.

4.

Re-establish family routines, like mealtimes and bedtimes, right away.

With a move, there's a certain amount of disruption to normal schedules that you can't get around, especially if a significant amount of travel is involved. But once you've moved in, aim to get back on your normal family schedule as quickly as possible. This will help younger children, in particular, who need more consistency. It also sends the important message to all members that you are the same family, just in a new setting. The old rules, routines and rituals still apply

5.

Prioritize the unpacking process.

You didn't pack in a day, so don't try to unpack in one either. Make your first priority setting up the kids' rooms to help get them comfortable. Put the kitchen, bathroom(s), family room and other high-use rooms at the top of the list. Don't obsess over hanging pictures or other decorations right away. Take time to enjoy getting to know your new home and the wonderful discoveries you and your kids will make about it.