Moving has never been considered an easy task but when families with kids are involved it might become quite unenviable. Whether moving interstate or just changing the neighborhood, kids rarely relish change of this scale. Fortunately there are ways to get them involved and make the transition as anxiety –free as possible. It’s all about your attitude about moving and your ability to let them share the experience that can influence their feelings and make them happy about it.
Below is a list of tips and advices on how to easily relocate with kids.
Bring in the news about the move.
There are many ways to tell your kids about the move. Organize a pleasant family meeting; gather around to play your favorite family game. Make them even happier by ordering huge pizza or cook their favorite meal. During the casual conversation tell them about the upcoming move. Be excited about it; try to make them feel like it is not going to be a major change. Do not emphasize on the fact that they are leaving their family home, share the excitement about the new place, the new friends they are going to make and the new places to visit. Let the move be a celebration, not an unfortunate event.
Involve the kids in the relocation process.
Treat your kids as a grown-ups and make them part of the decisions and everyday tasks. They will feel important and part of what is happening, not as objects that are going to be moved around. Ask them for help on what to take and what to toss. It is important for them to understand that they are responsible for handling or throwing away their toys – not you or someone else. They can decide which their favorites are and even out them in a dedicated box (now they are packing with you).
Reassure them that they’ll stay in touch with their best friends after the move.
Help them create a list with p.o. box addresses, emails, phone numbers. If they are older, remind them of the social networking sites they can use. You can even consider taking them a cell-phone with plan for long-distance calls, provided that they are old and responsible enough – they’ll be able to get in touch with their best friends if they felt nostalgic.
Kids can help you organize a moving sale.
Deciding what to take and what to leave behind is an important stage of the moving process. You can talk with your children and together decide how much the things should be priced for the sale. Together you can put the prices and discuss on what to spend the profit – maybe an inflatable pool for the new yard or a new bicycle.
Getting familiar with the new place.
If your new home is not too far away you can organize a trip to the new location. You can show them the landmarks and the places of interest to your children. A good idea is to take them round their new school. They will no longer be afraid of the unknown and might even be excited of what it’s going to be.
Arrange together their new room.
To get the kids even more excited about the new home make together plans for their room. Pick different colors, take them to stores and choose furniture, rugs and other accessories. Set up a budget and help them achieve their vision with practical advises. Once the room is ready and the relocation is complete you can organize a small or not so small “reveal” party – this will be good opportunity to meet other children of their age and make friends in the new location.
These are some of the things you can do to get your kids into the equation when moving. The key is to stay positive and turn the move into an exciting adventure for them. Try to make them part of the whole relocation process and let them have fun at the same time. This will make it easier on everyone as a whole.
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source: http://www.shutterstock.com/
License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://www.shutterstock.com/
Brian Jamesson is a moving industry professional and relocation marketing expert. You can follow me on Twitter and Google Plus
