Moving with Kids: Top Tips and Tricks

By Griffin Moving & Storage on November 12, 2018

Whether you’re moving near or far, relocation requires packing, registration for utilities, mail change address requests, and filing for a variety of other important services. In addition, you’ll need to hire and coordinate your team of professional movers according to the move-out dates for your old home and the move-in dates for your new one. There’s a lot of work to be done in any move, and for those with families, moving with children makes the whole process a lot more challenging.

At Griffin Moving & Storage, we’ve been helping families make smooth and easy transitions into new homes in the area, across the country, and even around the world. For family moving projects, we know how important it is that children and their parents to achieve an enjoyable moving experience, and how stressful things can be when they’re unorganized and chaotic.

In this article, our moving experts will share with you some of our most effective tips in making a move easier with kids. You and your family deserve to have the freshest start possible after your relocation to a new home, and these tips can help make the transition before, during, and after the move the most positive experience it can be.

Before the Move

• House Hunt with Your Kids

Once you narrow down your choices, involve your children in the process of choosing your new house. At first, you can house hunt online using a real estate app like Zillow or Trulia to find potential homes in the area you’re moving into. Getting a tour of a new home can be an incredibly exciting experience for kids and knowing that they helped to pick it out can make the process even more impactful.

• Help Them Sort Their Belongings

Let your children help with the packing, especially when it comes to their rooms and their things. Help them decide what to keep, what to donate, and what to sell. Getting involved can be a great way for your kids to visualize their new lives in a new home which can help them to feel more attached to the home they’re moving into.

• Organize a Yard Sale

Yard sales can be great fun, and incredibly motivating for youngsters, especially if you set a goal using proceeds you’ll make during the sale. Before the yard sale, have a family meeting and explain what the money will be used for in the garage sale. For example, you can agree to buy a brand-new giant trampoline for the backyard, or new bunk beds for the kids’ room. To prepare for the event, let your younger kids help by coloring posters that you can use to “advertise” the sale. Meanwhile, the older kids can help put the price tags on items and handle the cash register. Keep a running tab on the money you’ve earned throughout the sale, and give the kids updates to keep them motivated to keep helping out.

• Assign Them Tasks on Moving Day

One of the most effective ways of making a move easier with kids is by involving them in the process itself. Let them pack their own belongings and decorate their own boxes to make it a fun experience. When the actual moving day arrives, you can let your kids assist by taking care of the pets, cleaning up, and moving lighter boxes to the door for the movers to have easier access.

• Keep Connected with Friends

A huge worry for many children is the possibility of losing contact with their friends in the neighborhood, or if moving long-distance, the friends they’ve made at school. Reassure them by logging their friends’ contact information into an address book for them to keep, making sure to include their parents’ names, addresses, email address, and social media information for them to use when they want to reach out.

During the Move

• Make it a Family Adventure

Keep your attitude light and fun! Moving is an adventure, whether it feels like it or not, and can be incredibly exciting for kids. Understandably, parents might not feel particularly cheerful while moving, especially if the physical part of the move seems stressful or not particularly well-organized. Professional movers like our team at Griffin Moving & Storage can take over for you and make moving process much easier on everyone, which can effectively keep you focused on yourself and your children.

• Road Trip Fun

If you’re moving long-distance, remember that long trips like these are especially memorable for children for years to come. Keep the adventure part of the journey alive during this part of the move, by planning a few fun stops along the way, or with car games or fun song playlists to listen to for the drive.

After the Move

• School Transitions

Consider taking your kids to their new school after hours for a tour of the campus before classes start. Let them browse through the school website and learn about the required clothing and different activities the school offers, to get them excited about their new school.

• Help Them Make Friends

Encourage your kids to make new neighborhood or school friends. Teach them how to introduce themselves to children they don’t know, and how to invite other kids to play with them at recess. Being the new kid at school is tough but helping them to navigate this new experience with better social skills can make a big difference.

While moving with children can be difficult, these tips and strategies that you can do before, during, and after a move will surely help the whole family ease with the transition.

If you’d like to learn more tips on moving with the family, or to hear more details about our professional moving services at Griffin Moving & Storage, give us a call. You can also fill out our online form to find out how you can schedule a free, in-home visit and pricing estimate with a moving coordinator today!