The House of a Hundred Windows
A hundred windows. One green bird. A whole house to search.
For moving homeMoving home
A new home, a hundred new things. Helping children settle in after a move.
New rooms, new sounds, a building full of strangers. For a young child, moving home can be exciting and unsettling at the same time. Our book The House of a Hundred Windows follows Mira through her first day in a new house, and here are a few ideas for your own move.
Moving home
Why moving is a big deal for children
Young children build their sense of safety from familiar places: their room, the way to the park, the faces next door. A move changes all of that at once, so it is normal for a child to be clingy, quiet or unsettled for a while, even when they were looking forward to it.
What helps most is time, routine and small chances to make the new place their own. When children can explore, ask questions and meet people at their own pace, strangers slowly turn into neighbors and the new home starts to feel like theirs.
Small things to try in the first weeks
- 1
Pack a first-night box
Let your child choose a few things to keep close on moving day: a favorite toy, their pillow, a book. Unpacking it first makes the first night feel familiar.
- 2
Explore it together
Go room by room, then street by street, and look for something new each day: a red door, a cat in a window, the nearest bakery. Mira gets to know her new house one floor at a time.
- 3
Say hello to one neighbor
Knock on one door, or wave to one person on the stairs. Small, repeated hellos make a building full of strangers feel smaller.
- 4
Keep the old routines
Same bedtime story, same breakfast, same goodnight. Familiar routines travel with you and tell your child that the important things have not changed.
What helps with moving home
Feather Hunt
Seven green feathers hide behind the windows of the Periwinkle. Read the number clues and mark every one without opening it.
From The House of a Hundred Windows · Ages 4–8Good to know
Questions parents ask
How can I help my child adjust to moving to a new house?+
Keep daily routines the same, let your child make small choices (where their bed goes, which box to unpack first), and explore the new home and neighborhood together a little at a time. Most children settle within a few weeks. If your child stays very unsettled for a long time, talk to their teacher or your doctor.
Is it normal for a child to be clingy or upset after a move?+
Yes. Changes in sleep, extra clinginess or a few more tears are common in the first weeks after a move, even for children who were excited about it. Patience, familiar routines and plenty of reassurance usually help.
Is there a picture book about moving to a new home for ages 4 to 8?+
Yes. The House of a Hundred Windows is the first Look Closer book. Mira has just moved into the Periwinkle, a tall blue house with a hundred windows, when her budgie Pistachio escapes inside. Searching for him floor by floor, she meets her new neighbors and finds the courage to use her voice. It is a 92-page seek-and-find picture book, out now on Amazon.
