If you’ve got a family, moving house can be an intimidating prospect. It’s never easy to move, especially when you’ve got kids who will be uprooted from familiar settings, but with some creative thinking, you can get the whole family to pitch in and make the move go smoothly!
 
Explore your new location together. Go for a walk around your new neighborhood. Visit a few of the local stores, or get ice cream together. Show how much fun the new area will be! If the new home is too far away for visits before the move, pull up the neighborhood in an online map, and take a virtual tour.
 
Keep kids involved in the planning. Information about what is happening, why, and what the plan is can keep kids feeling calm and prepared, and can reduce stress on the whole family. Explore the moving route in online maps, identify points of interest in the new area, and, if the move is a long one, make plans to stop at interesting points along the way.
 
Organize a garage sale. Let the kids decide which old toys, books, games, etc they want to sell. Mark their items with a special tag, and let them keep the proceeds, perhaps for a special treat or toy for the new home. This will not only clear clutter and lighten your moving load, but will give the kids something to look forward to.
 
Make room plans. Cut graphing paper to scale for the dimensions of each room, and cut small pieces to represent family furniture. Help the kids explore different options for arranging each room. If the children are old enough, let them design the layout for their own rooms.
 
Decorate the new home together. If possible, let children have a say in the colors and themes of their rooms; older children may be able to plan and decorate their own rooms with minimal supervision.
 
I hope you found this article useful.  Give me a call if you have any questions.