Moving between homes can be a stressful task. From the initial process of packing and planning the transportation to the actual moving day and reintegration into your new home, you can easily get lost in a sea of to-do lists and things to remember.
But if you have a family with young and active children to worry about, the difficulty may be one level higher than the usual. It can be made even more inconvenient due to the pandemic. You will have to think of hiring a moving company, scheduling every task at hand, and managing your children’s activities during the home transition.
You will also have to consider their emotional health as some children may be more sensitive to moving into a completely unfamiliar home. So here are some pointers to help you with this daunting task.
Prepare them early
Just like how children may be attached to toys and other items, they might also find it challenging to let o of your current home. Because of this, you have to prepare them physically, mentally, and emotionally for the move. The first thing to do is tell them that your family will soon be living in a different house.
Doing this months before the transition should help them to let go of their current residence. Your next role should be helping them to find excitement in the moving process. Find the positive things in living in a new home instead of dwelling on the sad part of saying goodbye.
Make a schedule for the entire process
The entire process will be stressful to them as it will be for you, so make a schedule of everything to be done to help your kids have a sense of time and purpose. Tell them the general plan, like the weekly activities of packing your belongings, so that they can feel included as you take care of everything. Make sure that they still have a daily routine to keep them occupied.
Involve them in the tasks
The move will be made as a family, so the entire process must also be done as one. Your children should be involved in most tasks, from packing, sorting, and cleaning up to unpacking and rearranging everything in the new residence. Getting your children to help will give them something to do and make them feel included in the task.
You can take advantage of this and teach them a lesson about making decisions on whether to keep or let go of their stuff. This should also make them feel like they matter and have a say in your household. But as the parent, you may still have to dispose of some of the unneeded stuff they are still attached to, so do this when they are not watching.
Let them see your new home
It is also essential to get them accustomed to your new home environment to make the transition smoother. Bring them there a few times before the move to let them familiarize the scenery. Let them enter the home and explore the interiors and exteriors. This will prevent them from becoming disoriented on the day of the move.
Have someone to babysit
On the actual moving day, you should consider having someone babysit your children. This should help keep them safe, especially if hired help will be moving your stuff for you. This should also let you focus on the management of activities instead of worrying about your kids. If possible, get a family member or a close friend to pick up your kids a day before your move and entertain them until all your stuff has arrived at your new home.
Find them a playmate
Lastly, you should introduce yourself to your neighbors even before the move and try to find other children for your kids to play with. This will help make them comfortable in your new home faster and help them to positively let go of your old home.
These moving tips should help you and your children to transition smoothly to your new home. Kids may sometimes be challenging to manage, but finding the right approach can get them to behave and make things easier for your moving process.
But because of the pandemic, the safety of your entire family may still be in danger. Always follow pandemic safety protocols like wearing masks and distancing yourself from other people. You also have to sanitize and disinfect your hands and the items that the movers touch.
With these tips, you should be ready to move with your children in a new and safe environment for a different chapter in your life.
