Moving house is stressful. How do you try to entertain your kids while moving home? How can you juggle moving days? Here, we reveal our top tips for moving house without overwhelm.
How to Navigate Moving House With Children
Moving with younger kids or older children doesn’t need to be stressful. Read the following tips to cope with the moving process.
Plan Ahead
Planning is the easiest way to stay organised when moving. Start decluttering a couple of weeks before you move. Once you’ve discarded the items you don’t want to keep, you can start packing. Begin with the things you barely use and leave those you use daily until last.
Our moving home checklist is a great tool for helping you ensure that you’ve planned for everything in advance.
Meal Plan
Meal planning is another effective way to stay organised. Take note of what you have in your freezer. It’s a good idea to plan meals on moving day. Making sandwiches or a packed lunch for the kids will ensure they don’t go hungry.
Get Childcare
The best option for moving with children is to find childcare in advance. Whether it’s a relative, friend or childcare professional, you’ll know that they’re in safe hands, so you have plenty of time to move boxes and clean. It makes life much easier, and even if you can only find childcare for a couple of hours, you’ll be able to get more tasks ticked off your checklist.
Give Them Something To Do
When moving house, children can quickly become bored. What if you could involve them in your moving activities instead? It’s good to let them know they’re moving a few weeks beforehand. It gives them plenty of extra time to get acquainted with their new area. You could plan an adventure hunt, pointing out new local spots to try. If you enjoy getting creative, write down some local points to your new home, such as the nearest school, park, and supermarket. You can then turn it into a game that your children will find exciting.
Let Them Make Some Decisions
Choosing new paint for their bedroom or new furniture for your home can make your children feel more excited about moving. Try looking at ideas for home décor on Pinterest and get your children involved by asking them to choose images they like. Allowing them to make some decisions, even if it’s only small ones, is great for keeping them excited rather than worried about the prospect of moving home.
Avoid Moving Children During Term-Time
If you’re moving to a new area, try to move house during the summer holidays. While it’s not always possible to move at your chosen time of year, moving during term-time means starting school potentially halfway through the academic year. Keeping disruption to a minimum by trying to move during term time will make it much easier in the long run.
Make It Fun
Moving toddlers or younger children is hard work. To keep them entertained, try making the move fun for them as they will begin to feel excited. You could give them some boxes to make a fort or build a small kitchen out of them – you only need some scissors and Sellotape on hand (plus a little supervision). Plus, it will prevent them from getting in the way of loading boxes onto your removal van.
Hide Your Stress Levels
If your children can see that you’re stressed, they’re more likely to feel overwhelmed. Make the move a positive thing by focusing on the good points, such as getting into your new home, decorating, or having a housewarming party. It will keep your mind off the challenging aspects of moving house.
Pack Their Bedroom Last
When packing your belongings away, leave your child’s bedroom until last and unpack it first. Creating a safe place for them in your new home will help with the adjustment process. Their bedroom is their sleeping and playing space, so making this area as comfortable as possible is vital. Pack any of their ‘must-haves’ such as their favourite toys or blankets in a separate bag so you can keep them with you on moving day.
Need help dismantling a bunk bed? Check out our handy guide!
Keep Your Regular Routine
Aside from moving day, try to keep to your routine. Make sure your little ones get their regular bedtime and early morning routine. If you tend to take them to classes, make them a priority. Keeping their regular schedule makes it easier to transition between houses.
Say Goodbye
Saying goodbye to a home can be emotional, even for small children. Take them around the house one last time to say goodbye and consider leaving a gift for the new owners. You could leave a plant, some flowers or chocolates. Do this with your child to show them that other people will be making good memories here.
Pack A Box for The First Night
Make a special box for the first night in your new home. It should include essential things, such as plates and cutlery. You could also give a small gift for your children, such as stuffed animals, to make it extra special. Something for their new bedroom or the home, in general, is a great idea.
Give Plenty of Reassurance
Be open with your children and ask them to talk about their feelings. It’s important to know if they’re worried about anything. Moving home can have a massive impact on a child, particularly if you’re travelling a distance. Tell them that you’ll be there to listen should they have any concerns.
Planning on Moving With Kids? Removals & Storage Experts Can Assist You!
Ready to move house? Moving with children can be a breeze when you’ve got Removals & Storage Experts. As a moving company, we’re here to lend a helping hand by moving boxes and putting your goods into storage. We can do all the packing, heavy lifting and moving so you don’t have to lift a finger. Get in touch now for a free quote.
If you’re looking for more handy tips for moving home, check out this change of address checklist!
