Personalised moving home book for an anxious child

What happens in your child and the Box of Questions

1. Your child spots a box labelled QUESTIONS among the packing.
2. A favourite mug brings up a question about leaving familiar places.
3. A bedroom box prompts your child to wonder what the new room will feel like.
4. At the new house, your child asks whether new neighbours can become friendly faces.
5. Your child writes one last question and one hopeful answer for tomorrow.

How the first page could read

The hallway was full of boxes: BOOKS, SOCKS, KITCHEN THINGS and one with no label at all. Your child tapped it gently. Rattle, rattle. Inside was a little notebook and a pencil. On the first page, somebody had written: Questions are welcome here.

Your child’s name, look and little details replace these words, and the whole story is written for their age.

Why this story works

Moving can bring practical changes that children aged four to eight notice straight away: familiar rooms look bare, favourite things disappear into boxes, and the next day is hard to picture. This story gives your child a clear, repeatable way to name those thoughts. Each box leads to one concrete question, from missing an old street to wondering about a new bedroom or neighbours. The questions are not hurried away; they sit beside small, believable possibilities. Because your child is pictured in the story, parents can use the pages to talk about their own move, point out real packed boxes and add the child’s answers as plans change.

Reading it together

• Pause at each question and ask your child whether they have a question of their own about the move.
• Read the bedroom page before packing their room, then let your child choose a few familiar items to unpack first.
• Return to the final page after moving day and write down one new question and one thing that felt all right.

Suggested art style: Coloured pencil

Coloured-pencil illustrations give packed belongings, handwritten labels and small home details a warm, observant feel. A sidekick idea: a tiny notebook tucked inside the question box. You can pick any of the four styles and change the details in the form.