Irrespective of age, moving from one home to another stinks. It’s tough to leave behind friends and the home where you were comfortable and used to live, and moving day itself can be stressful and tiring. Although using a removal van would be a useful way to ease some of that stress. But if you get the entire family involved, however, the day can go a lot more smoothly and your kids might actually enjoy getting involved, making moving a little less sad and a little more fun. If you are planning on getting your kids involved in the moving process, you don’t want there to be too much to do, that it becomes too much for even you and the kids to handle. Maybe you can get them to do simple tasks like closing up the boxes you have filled. Once you have fewer things in your home, it won’t be as cluttered and you and the kids can start taking care of anything that’s left. There’s no harm in reaching out for help, especially when you have kids to look after. The whole family will thank you for it. Here’s how to get your kids involved on a moving day:
Toddlers
Yes, even your youngest children can get involved with a move. When you’re packing boxes, have your child help you go through his or her toys and find some great unused items to donate to a local shelter.
This will cut down on the number of boxes you have to move and teach your son or daughter a great lesson about helping those less fortunate.
School-Aged Children
If you have children who are a bit older, they can be even more helpful in the packing process. You can also give them tasks such as labeling boxes (which will also help with spelling skills).
On a moving day, your child might not yet be able to help with loading boxes and furniture, but you can put them in charge of simple cleaning tasks to make sure rooms spin and span as they are emptied.
If your rental is clean when you leave it, you’ll get your security deposit back, so this is definitely an important step!
Teenagers
Teens can help with the move itself, though be careful they aren’t lifting boxes or furniture that is too heavy. In the weeks leading up to moving, have your teen pack his or her own room – kids that age love it when you respect their privacy and it saves you from additional work. In addition, teens are great for keeping younger children out of the way during moving day.
Rather than having the kids underfoot as you’re trying to move heavy items, confine them to the backyard or a single, empty area of the house with a single box of toys and games and put your teen in charge of keeping everyone occupied for the afternoon.
That way, at the end of the day, you just have one last box to pack and move. Like with younger children, your teen can also be on clean-up duty, helping to get your rental in like-new condition as rooms are being emptied one by one.
No matter what age your children are, make sure you set aside a little time during the moving day for them to say goodbye to friends in the neighborhood, especially if they’re moving to a new school district.
It’s important for everyone to have the chance to say their goodbyes. Since your things will be packed up, you can even consider hosting a goodbye pizza dinner party at a local restaurant for your kids’ closest friends.
