How can your kids help you during the family move

When facing a family move everyone’s focused on how to help their kids cope with the relocation. The sooner your kids are on board with the moving decision, the smoother the transition will be.

Before you start with preparations, be honest with your kids, talk about their expectations and changes they may incur down the road.

As it turns out, there are lots of reasons why moving may make sense for the family. So, make sure to point out all the pros you will benefit from once you move to a new place. Normally, no two families will handle the family relocation the same way. Upsetting as moving can be for children, the entire experience may get even more difficult if they didn’t have a say in the decision.

The truth is that leaving the family home is a major disruption to your kids’ routine. Considering all the chaos and anxiety that may derive from the moving prospect, navigating a family move turns out to be a real challenge. Moving with kids may pose additional challenges to an already difficult process. From choosing a perfect timing to communicate the decision to the children and involving them, to helping them adjust to a new environment, here you may find some practical pieces of advice on how to handle your big transition.

Family move made easy with your kids’ help

Once you’ve demystified the upcoming moving project and outlined all the positive aspects, think of some efficient ways to keep the stress level to a minimum. The good news is that regardless of your kids’ age, you can always involve them in the process one way or another. By assigning them age-appropriate tasks you can not only benefit from an extra pair of hands, but also keep your kids busy all along. As active participants of the packing and moving process they will be able to envision the specifics of the move they can look forward to.

Let your kids de-clutter and pack

As each household move provides a unique possibility to create a clutter-free environment, ask your kids to sort through their belongings. Let them decide what to move and what to toss, but be there to deal with their concerns and supervise them. Make sure to underline that clutter can be disadvantageous to your new home. A fresh start means starting your life over in a new place where you will make new memories, so make room for them in the first place.

Since kids usually don’t have any input in the final decision, let them make some minor ones. Young children may enjoy color-coding and decorating cardboard moving boxes, while your teenage kids can help you pack, clean or unpack. It’s always a good idea to let them pack up their own things, so that they can figure out what to take and what to leave behind.  That way they may have a better understanding of the wide range of responsibilities that come along with the household move.

Cleaning activities during the family move

Cleaning is probably one of the most dreaded activities during the household move. Engaging your kids in the household chores during the family move will make the transition much smoother for sure. In addition to that, your kids may gain some new skills and habits you will be proud of later on. Depending on their age, you can assign them cleaning chores such as vacuuming, mopping floors and other basic tasks that don’t include using cleaning chemicals.

Making big plans for the new home

Most of the time children will be unsure as to their feelings about the move, but they will be excited about their new house for sure. Therefore, take into account their suggestions and ideas about their room layout and let them choose some pieces of furniture.

Also, if your new home has some special features, make sure to point them out regularly so as to arouse kids’ curiosity. In addition to that, starting a new chapter and creating your new family home calls for a proper celebration, so start making plans for the housewarming party. Without a doubt, your kids will be looking forward to the upcoming reunion with their friends, so let them share their ideas.

How to have fun during the family move

While encouraging your kids’ involvement in the household move is important, you need to ensure they are safe all the way through. As it turns out, a teamwork can go a long way towards completing the job in a timely and efficient manner.

Although fun and household chores rarely go together, wouldn’t you like to have a good time with your loved ones during the period leading up to moving day?

Maintaining a positive attitude during the daunting packing and moving process seems to be beneficial for the entire family’s sanity. Your kids would like to help you as much as possible, so show them how valuable their assistance is to you. A few words of encouragement can make the entire process more enjoyable. Remember to put together a list of your favorite songs to liven up your packing experience. No one likes being stuck inside the house with a bunch of cardboard boxes, but at least music can make it more bearable.

A few extra tips…

Let’s face it – cleaning, sorting and packing usually don’t appeal to the teenagers. Those activities combined with stress and tension of the long-distance move won’t keep them entertained at all. So, let them get creative when it comes to labeling cardboard boxes. Regardless of their age, kids may enjoy sprucing up and color-coding moving boxes. And always keep in mind that with a positive attitude you can turn a dull activity into an exciting experience.

As most of the household items will be inaccessible on moving day, have your kids prepare their own essentials boxes. Make sure they understand how important it is to keep those bags handy as they contain items that they will need during the first couple of days in a new place.