Packing up your belongings and getting ready to move can be stressful. If your kids are nervous about the move, that can complicate things. Getting them involved in the preparations can calm their nerves, give them a sense of control and help them feel emotionally invested in the idea of moving to a new home.
Let Your Kids Decide What to Keep and What to Donate
You’ve probably accumulated a lot of belongings that you haven’t used in a while and won’t need in the future. Before you move to a new house, it’s a good idea to go through each room and closet and decide what to take with you and what to throw away, sell or donate. That way, you won’t have to pay a moving company to transport things you won’t use, and you won’t have to worry about those items cluttering up your new house.
Explain this to your kids. Have them go through their rooms to figure out which toys, stuffed animals, books and clothes to take to the new house, and which items to donate to children in need.
This can serve a practical purpose for you (lightening the load on moving day), but it can also be helpful to your kids on an emotional level. It can help them figure out what’s truly important to them, let go of things that are no longer useful and experience the joy of helping others.
Have Your Kids Pack, If They Can
A toddler may not be able to help much with packing, but older kids can do a good job if you explain some basic principles. If you have kids who are old enough to help, explain how to pack boxes to make the best use of the space without making them too heavy. Show your kids how to wrap fragile items and how to label boxes so the movers will know which room to put them in at the new house.
Let Your Kids Pack Their Essentials
Each member of the family should have a box with essentials, such as pajamas, a change of clothes, a toothbrush and other toiletries, for the first night in the new house and the next morning. If you’re planning to move a long distance and the moving truck won’t arrive for several days, you will need to plan accordingly. Let your kids decide what to wear and choose other things, such as a favorite stuffed animal, to put in their box of essentials.
Have Young Kids Decorate Boxes
Include every member of the family in the packing process in some way. If you have children who are too young to help with packing, they can at least “help” by decorating boxes. Arm your kids with markers and stickers and let them write their names, draw pictures or scribble on boxes.
