How to Make a Book About Moving for Your Child

A book about moving for kids is a small picture book, made about your own family, that tells the story of your move from start to finish. It shows your child the house you are leaving, the boxes, the truck, the new house and their new room. Because it uses real photos of both homes and their own things, it turns a big, invisible change into something they can see, hold and read again.

Why make your own moving book?

Young children often worry about things adults don't expect: will my bed come too, will my toys get lost, where will the dog sleep? A homemade moving book answers those questions with pictures of their real stuff and their real new room.

It also gives the move a shape. There is a beginning (our old house), a hard middle (packing and goodbyes) and a happy ending (settling in). That simple story spine, the same one we use for any personalized children's book, helps a child understand that the hard part ends.

What should a book about moving include?

Keep it concrete and in order. Most moving books for young children cover these things:

• Why we are moving. One true, simple reason: a new job, more room, closer to Grandma.
• A goodbye to the old house. Favorite spots, the height marks on the door frame, the window where they watch the trucks.
• Packing. Their things go in boxes, and their things come too. Let them pack and label one box themselves.
• Moving day. The truck, who will help, where your child will be, and how long the drive or flight is.
• The new house and their new room. Where their bed will go, which window is theirs.
• The new neighborhood. A park, a library, a new school or daycare, the grocery store.
• Staying in touch. How they will talk to friends and family they are leaving.
• Feelings are OK. It's fine to be excited, sad and both at once.

A page-by-page outline you can copy

This 14-page outline follows a move from start to finish. Replace the bracketed words and drop any page that doesn't fit.

1. Cover: "[Name]'s Big Move," with a photo of your child in front of the old house.
2. Meet the hero: "This is [Name]. [Name] lives in a [yellow house] on [Maple Street]."
3. The news: "Our family is moving to a new house in [Town]. We are moving because [Daddy has a new job]."
4. Favorite things here: "[Name] loves [the big tree in the yard] and [the window seat]."
5. Packing: "We put our things in boxes. [Name] packs [the dinosaurs] and draws a picture on the box."
6. Everything comes too: "[Name]'s bed, books and [blue blanket] all come to the new house."
7. Goodbye, friends: "[Name] says goodbye to [Maya]. They will [video call on Saturdays and send drawings]."
8. Goodbye, house: "[Name] walks through every room and says, 'Goodbye, house. Thank you.'"
9. Moving day: "A big truck takes our boxes. [Name] rides with [Mama] in the car with [the cat]."
10. Hello, new house: "Here is our new house. It is [white with a red door]."
11. My new room: "This is [Name]'s new room. The bed goes [by the window]."
12. Exploring: "Near our new house there is [a park with a slide] and [a library]."
13. Big feelings: "Sometimes [Name] misses the old house. That's OK. [Name] can look at this book and remember."
14. Last page: "Home is wherever our family is. Welcome home, [Name]." Use a family photo in the new house.

Words that help for the goodbye pages

The goodbye house and goodbye friends pages carry the most feeling. Keep them warm and specific, and always point to what happens next:

[Name] will miss [the swing in the backyard]. In the new house, [Name] will have [a park just down the street].

[Name] and [Leo] are still friends, even when they live far apart. They will [send pictures and talk on the phone].

It's OK to feel sad and happy at the same time. [Name] can tell [Mama] or [Papa] about any feeling.

When and how should I read it?

Start a few weeks before the move for most toddlers and preschoolers, so the story feels familiar before the boxes appear. Then keep it going after you arrive.

• Before the move: read it a few times a week. Let your child point to their things in the photos.
• On moving day: keep a copy in the bag that travels with your child, not in a box.
• In the new house: read it in their new room at bedtime. Seeing the old house in the book can be a comfort.
• Add a page later: once you have met a neighbor or visited the new school, add a photo and print a fresh copy. If they are also starting somewhere new, a first day of school book pairs well.

Using photos of both homes

Take pictures of the old house before you pack: their room as it is now, the kitchen table, the front door, the yard, a neighbor or two. Those photos become the goodbye pages and a keepsake of the place.

For the new house, use listing photos if you have them, pictures from a visit, or a drawing your child makes of what they imagine. After you move, swap in the real thing. Our guide to turning kids' drawings into a book has tips for photographing their art so it looks good on the page.

How to make it on makeabook.fun

makeabook.fun is free, works in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer, and needs no sign-up.

1. Open the starter. Go to "A story about them". It pre-fills pages with fill-in-the-blank prompts for a story with your child as the hero, a problem, then a happy ending.
2. Pick a size. Wide (10 × 8 in) suits house photos; Square, Tall and Big are also available.
3. Write the pages using the outline above, adding or removing pages to fit your move.
4. Add photos of both homes. Drag to reposition and zoom so the right room or door is in view.
5. Let your child draw. On the built-in drawing pad they can draw the moving truck, or draw over a photo of their new room to show where things will go.
6. Finish the cover and dedication, then flip through it in the reader together.

Printing a copy for moving day

The free full-color print-at-home PDF is ready as soon as you download it, which matters when the printer is about to be packed. If this becomes a keepsake of the old house, the Keepsake edition ($2.99 once per book) gives print-shop quality at the exact book size with no makeabook.fun mark, a fold-and-staple booklet layout and free re-downloads after edits. Our guide to printing a picture book at home covers paper and binding.