Moving can be both exciting and stressful for the entire family. From selling your home, scheduling the move and packing to finding a new home, new friends and unpacking, the experience of moving or relocating can be full of emotions.

But just as moving can be stressful for adults, children oftentimes find moving a time of despair and sadness rather then excitement. But if planned in advance, handled with care and sensitivity and by adding a few "tricks" to the situation, parents can decrease the stress and help their children enjoy the transition from the old to the new.

Families move for various reasons. Whether because of employment, the need for a bigger house or wanting to move closer to family, the reasons for moving are just as diverse as the families that do it. Parents may feel they want to relocate their kids to a different neighborhood, a better school system or even into or out of a city or country setting. However, parents may want to consider the children, as well as the effects relocation can have upon them, when considering a move.

"I hate to admit that I have been the gypsy queen as far as relocating," says Michelle Turner of Butler, Pa. "I never had roots as a child and I guess I never really thought about all the moves and how they would affect my daughter. Thankfully most of them were while she was small, before she started school."

Discussing a potential move with children is never easy. These types of topics can bring forth a great deal of emotion, for both the parents and the children. Until a move or relocation is decided, parents may want to keep information, or at least the specifics, to themselves.

"With younger kids it's not a good idea to tell them about the move until it is sure that the move will be happening and the decision is fully made," says Shari Steiner, co-author of the "Steiner's Complete How to Move Handbook."

"To a younger child, usually the age of 6 and under, it is very scary to them that they will no longer have their neighborhood friends, their house, their yard or their daycare or school," Steiner says. "It's not a good idea to talk about a possibility of moving because they get scared.You can't give them an idea on the new house because you haven't found it yet and you can't sell them on the idea of a new neighborhood or school because a move is not yet certain."

So, when should a parent tell their children about moving or relocation? According to Steiner, a child should be informed once a move has been decided, but only if the parent feels they are equipped to handle the situation.

"It always works best to let the children know as soon as the move it pretty certain," says Steiner. "It's not a good idea to scare kids with uncertainty. However, it does depend upon the age of the children and what kind of personality they have, as each child will react differently to change at different periods of their life. Where one child can handle the possibility of a move, another may not be equipped to handle the uncertainty and may act out emotionally or become overly stressed."

There are various tips and techniques that parents can follow that will equip them with ways of minimizing the stress or sadness that children often feel when relocating.

One of these includes getting the child involved in their favorite activities -- whether sports, academic or dramatic -- before the move actually occurs.

"Children can help do research on the town or city, find out about sporting events, teams, school systems and what they offer as well as interesting facts about what will be their new home," says Steiner. "It helps a lot if a child knows ahead of time if their new area has the same kind of theater club or the same kind of football team as they participate in where they are now. Quite often, the experience with these types of clubs will help them bridge or make friends right away especially if they go to visit the new schools where the will be participating. This is an easy way for kids to know what the students at another school are like."

Another technique that will enable parents to help their child adjust to a new environment, town or city is to allow them to become familiar with the area before the move actually occurs. Taking a vacation, a weekend get away or even a day trip to the area will offer the child an opportunity to become familiar with the sites, sounds, stores and social activities of what is soon to be his/her new home. As a result, when the move occurs the child no longer sees these surroundings as "new." It is no longer a first time visit -- it is a return to the area.

"Our move was to a place that was under a half an hour away but required changing schools," says Sherry French, a mother from Port Perry, Canada. "We made it a positive experience by discussing the positive aspects of the new house and driving regularly by the new school. Understandably the kids were nervous. The new school is in town and so much bigger. We combatted this by taking them out of school one day before moving to visit at the new school, meet their future teachers, see the classroom and take a tour around the school. I think all of this helped them to feel that instead of losing something, they were gaining. They were adding to their list of friends, not starting all over."

An additional stress of moving is the timing. When should the move be done? Is there a time of year that is better for the children -- less stressful -- then others? According to Steiner, most families move during the summer months, when school is not in session, but this is not necessarily the best time to do so.

One of the most overlooked tips to reduce stress for children is to allow children to stay with friends or relatives during the actual packing and loading process.

"Children don't do well seeing their things packed in boxes and loaded to be taken away," says Steiner. "In addition, as this type of situation is stressful to kids, they may begin to act out and get underfoot slowing down the moving process and making things harder on the parents. Children, up to the teenage years, should be taken to a friend or relatives home to spend the day with them and told that the parents will return to get them later that afternoon or evening. Be sensitive to your children's fears about the move. Reassure them that you will be back to get them before you leave and that you won't go off without them."

Whether moving across town, across country or to another country entirely, there are various techniques that enable a parent to reduce stress and fear for their children and make the process of moving exciting and fun for the whole family.

"There are various sources out there that can offer advice and tips for families on the move," says Steiner. "Use them; use them all. Allow your children to ask questions and answer them with honesty. Families often benefit from a move, regardless of the reason for it, but it's up to the parents to help their children see the benefit. With kind words and encouragement, children will love the move, their new home and their new surroundings just as they did the old."