Moving back to Germany in a month- Help!

[peacelikeariver]

So after 20 years in London I'm packing up my family and taking them home. Well, my home, they have never lived there. This is not a fancy move, just a normal job, no relocation package. Thankfully I have a very capable SIL who has been very helpful.
I have found a job and with child benefit we will have enough to live on while DH learns German. We have a flat. The kids are excited. All good.
Now comes the stress of actually moving!
Any tips? I have not lived in Germany for 20 years, never been an 'adult' there, so all the bureaucracy is a bit alien to me.
I have opened a bank account online.
Have applied for Krankenversicherung.
School is not problem, kindergarten we have to sort out once we get there.
As I understand it we will get tax ID numbers once we register there?
Is it true I need a letter confirming we have cancelled child benefit here to apply for it there?
Any tips and experience of relocating to Germany greatly appreciated!

Willkommen! Hope you have a good first day in work.
Laughing at the weather:clothes observations I've had Omi's stop me in the street and tell me off for my baby not having socks on in 30 degree heat in the summer...I've found the Germans tend to change from winter to summer clothes at a certain time and not before. Like how the heating is only on from October to May. Tough luck if it gets colder any earlier!

peacelikeariver mightn't you be best off getting your eldest zurückgestellt? An extra year in Kindergarten would surely be the best thing, rather than a Förderschule or something.

Some schools have Vorschule classes which are a half way house between Kindergarten and school, I have heard (but they must be a city thing - out in the countryside where we live Vorschule is just what they call the final year of kindergarten, which is free in our Landkreis as they wanted to get all kids to use it - a lot of the farming families around here traditionally don't bother with Kindergarten, though I doubt its because they can't afford it!)

Loads of children in the countryside where we live defer entry to primary school - there seems to be snobbery around it in cities but it is really the best thing for a lot of children, especially ones who have a different first language. I held DS1 back even though he was "passed" to start with his cohort and even though his German was indistinguishable from that of his peers - he'd have been the youngest in his class if he'd gone, and was cripplingly shy with adults at 5. He really came on in the extra year at Kindergarten and it was definitely the right thing to do. As there were 6 children held back in the class he started in he is nowhere near the oldest in his class despite deferred entry!

My boys have gone to Kindergarten and school in shorts and T shirts peace - everyone locally knows them and comments that it is because they have English Blood :o TBH DS1 sweats buckets and never stops running around so I have my justification for not wrapping him up warm!

I love the transition to shorts as DS1 puts all his trousers through at the knee within a couple of weeks of buying them, so he actually looks smarter in skater shorts and scuffed knees

so.... this is where you are all hiding!! THat other thread is obsolete is it? Well done peace for settling in so well. How is work treating you? do tell us about the environment, i.e. do you have the magical under 10minute commute to work?

We arrived to good great weather, and DH is convinced that it is an omen, a good one that is, that we have returned. Been here for one month exactly now, and DS1 started kindergarten last week. We are still waiting to move into our house, but DH is enjoying the 5minute commute by car to his workplace. Found a brill Baeker in Bad Hom that does brilliant chocolate and cherry cake. We've been there most weeks, she must think that i'm an idiot or addict. I've started to leave DS1 and DS2 in the pushchair outside as DS1 has decided that he CAN speak german at the bakery, and the baker lady quickly responds to his requests.

I totally agree peace and welshcake with weather appropriate clothes, we've been suncreaming, sunhatting, and shorts wearing since we''ve arrived, and I ain't ashamed