Moving to a new place is fun! All the new things in your life, all the new places to visit and new people to meet. Unfortunately, relocation can also be troublesome and draining. Especially if you have kids. With our little ones, any move can be troubling. With the crying, bawling and outright refusal to move, our children can make our relocation a living hell. However, with our awesome tips, we’ll help you prepare your children for a move and have a stress-free and easy relocation.
Be open and honest
The best way to prepare your children for a move is to be straightforward and honest. You should tell them you’re moving as soon as you know (or, ideally a month or two) before the relocation. Telling your kids early will give them time to panic, cry, beg and threaten and, finally accept the move and move onto more interesting things.
Apart from this, it will give you ample time to break it easy to them, and avoid all the screaming and dissatisfaction. If you’re on a tight budget make sure you know which is cheaper DIY relocation vs hiring movers which will help you save time and money on your relocation.
Prepare your children for a move ahead of time
Once you tell them, you’ll need to prepare your kids. There are a lot of ways you can do this.
- visit some potential homes with them – this will give them the impression that they are participating in the move. This is very important if you want to keep them calm and composed. If you’ve already decided on a home, you can take them to a few bad houses and finally the one you chose (so, you’ll be sure they choose the one you want).
- visit the new neighborhood – this is an excellent way to prepare your children for a move! Make sure you take them there on a nice day so they’ll get the best impression of the place. A good thing to do is to get them a treat (like ice cream or their favorite candy) when you’re showing them the neighborhood.
- let them help you pack – give your kids a chance to help with the preparations for the move. Not only will it give them something to do, but it will also engage them and they’ll have the no time to cry and make issues of a different kind.
- pack a special bag – let your child pack their own small special bag. This should contain their favorite toys, an extra shirt, and whatever your child deems important. Let them carry their bag and make sure they take care of it. Apart from building responsibility in your kid, you’ll also give them something to do on a moving day.
You can always ship your things to the location to avoid losing time on transport. But, make sure you hire proper storage services in North Carolina.
Daycare
Make sure your child isn’t there on a moving day. Sometimes even the most well-behaved children can cause issues on relocation day. Since the whole house will be one giant anthill of activity and full of people, you might want your curious child out of the way. The best way to do this is to send them to a daycare or your friend’s place.
With the kids safe and sound, you can focus on packing and loading the moving truck. After you get that done, you can pick your kids up and relocate to your new home.
If you’ve hired packing services NC, and you’re having the pros take care of that, one parent can take the kids out while the other stays with the movers. A nice ice cream will cool down any hot tempers that might afflict your kids on a moving day.
Literature to help kids cope with the move
Another awesome way to prepare your children for a move is to read them a few books on moving. There is an excellent choice of children’s book related to moving you can find in your local bookstores or online. So, if you decided to hire affordable movers in NC, you can spend time with your child and read them one of these books. The ones we chose as representative of the genre and excellent for young children are:
Louis & Bobo – the story of young Louis and the faithful dog Bobo is perfect for children up to 5 years of age. This illustrated book about moving will help your child cope and get ready
The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day – the famous bear family is on the move, and they plan to help your kid decide how they feel about relocation
Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe – meant school kids, this book features a middle child who is trying to handle her family’s relocation. The main dilemma is about leaving the blue armchair which has become a part of the family. Good book for your kids to learn to let things go when moving.
Where I live – a great way for your school child to accept the benefits of the move, and not just focus on the shortcomings.
If all else fails
In the end, if all else fails you can always play pretend with your kids. To prepare your children for a move, play pretend with them. You are not packing, you’re preparing supplies for a journey into the unknown! Your new place isn’t a house it’s a huge castle and you need to fight your way in! To conquer it, your kids must answer your riddles and show the qualities of a true knight or dame. Honesty, loyalty, and bravery are all required to enter the new castle.
This will make your previously reluctant child aching to enter the new home. Even better if it needs to try a bit harder, it will only make your child want it more. Finally, to prepare your children for a move, give them prizes for completing the quests and taking over the castle.
