In life, moving from one thought to another in your brain can be enough sometimes. So, try moving with kids to a completely different area. Collectively, your worlds are about to turn upside down.
If there’s a window of time before school starts, you’re in luck. But the only way that you’re making it through this transition semi-unscathed is if you have a plan.
Here are several tips you can use to survive moving with kids before school begins.
Moving with Kids: Gamify Packing
Who likes packing? Oh yeah, no one. As a parent, you strive to make life enjoyable for your offspring, and making a game out of packing can make this chore a little more fun.
Making a game out of the packing process for your kids—and honestly, for you too—will make moving with kids much smoother before sending them off to a new school.
Start to devise a packing plan as early as possible in your head (or on paper). Once you have an idea of which items can start to get stowed away first, let the games begin!
As parents, you can take a gamified packing adventure in any direction you’d like.
If you’re looking for ideas for games to play when moving with kids, try these:
Color Collection Game
Each large box can only hold items that are of a certain color. The goal of the game is to collect everything in the house of that color and place it in the box for moving.
Yes, that means you may have your red hairbrush in the same box as your son’s red toy car. Can’t win every detail, right? Make packing fun again. In turn, that will make moving with kids before school less painful.
Beat the Timer
Set a timer for 2-5 minutes and see how many items the kids can safely pack before the timer goes off.
While it might not be the neatest packing, it will get the job done quickly!
Have a dance break in between sets!
Box Decorating
Give kids markers and stickers to decorate the outside of their moving boxes.
While it might not help with getting items in the boxes, it will give them ownership and make them feel proud of what’s going inside the box.
Teens
If you have kids in their teens, you can still play these games, but consider making it a bit more competitive or challenging! Or create prizes for most packed, best attitude, or most efficient.
Even if this next chapter for you is retiring in your dream location, it’s important to plan each step of this move. You won’t even feel the papercuts you get from sharp cardboard box lips as you actually have fun while packing your stuff.
Moving with Kids: Line Up Property Vendors
Back to the boring, adult, logistics side of moving with kids. It’s essential to consider every vendor you need to line up for your next home. Think about what services and products you will need to call your next place ‘home’.
It’s helpful to start with utilities, USPS, and your list of bills. After that, think through your daily activities. Who will need to know your new address immediately? Lastly, every time you receive mail, consider whether you need to alert them of a change of address.
You can start making a list of vendors as soon as you start your house hunt. It will make the crunch time of packing and preparing for the move smoother.
Moving with Kids: Safety While at Home and School
For many parents who have kids, setting up their nest safely is important. Home security systems are a good first step. Before all the moving tasks become overwhelming and you run out of time, start contacting home security companies early on. Get quotes and line up that vendor to use before you even move.
Furthermore, when kids are changing schools during a move, some parents like to review the safety of that school as well. Reviewing features like secure entry points, visitor protocols, and emergency procedures can provide peace of mind from the get-go.
When you can feel confident about the safety of both your new home and your kid’s new school, it’s one less thing to worry about when moving with little ones prior to the next school year.
Make Your Kids Happy
When you’re a parent, life’s not all about you. Even if you’re stressed about saving money for the down payment of your next home, remember to put the happiness of your kids first. Transitions can be challenging for everyone involved. Do your best to keep your kids happy during the moving process. They are a part of it just as much as you. Plus, if they are in high spirits, that could be an advantage when you need help with packing, moving, and setting things up.
Check in With Kids
In addition, have frequent check-ins with your kids while moving. Even if they’re younger, ask them how things are going and what they need. You can also get feedback from them on things you’re deciding on. Maybe they have certain preferences on the ins and outs of your move.
For example, they could be completely fine with packing everything, except for their toy bear. Avoid potential emotional eruptions from your little ones by asking them about these important things before just doing them. This will make your move go way smoother. And your kids can go into the next school year feeling good.
Stay positive and focus on the future!