How to keep the kids entertained when you move
Moving with kids can be a pretty hectic and challenging task. As much as we love them, they can become extra work in overwhelming situations! However, if the process of moving is dealt with smartly it can be easier even with the kids around. It just starts from some planning.
Relocation is hard and can be even more challenging if you have kids that are going to be present with you during the entire moving procedure. Most of the times people tend to have a babysitter, a family member or a friend to watch the kids while you do the packing and unpacking, but it would always be better and ideal to have your kids along and make them participate in the entire moving activity so that they feel productive and do not feel left out.
So, if your children are going to be with you in the process of moving and on a moving day, then it is important for you to make sure that you come up with activities for them that they can engage in while you deal with the last-minute packing and organizing. To help you with managing your kids along with the moving, we've compiled some tasks that your children can take part in and feel happy and productive.
1. Make a Game out of Moving
When you have kids around during crucial tasks that you are doing, it can be a little difficult to get done with very important tasks in time and without leaving anything behind. A way to make moving easier with kids around is to create a game out of the tasks of moving so your kids can become part of the whole process and can also enjoy.
You can have family members that can compete with each other to see who gets rid of the most clutter or who packs the quickest and unpacks the fastest. You can ask one of the family members to stick around with the kids while they compete and can fix small awards like chocolates for the winners of the competition.
On the day of actual moving, you can create activities in which the kids can compete for who can carry the most stuff safely to the truck. The competition could be about stacking the most number of boxes first or who stacks the boxes the most neatly. The kids can also be given games to play such as Twenty Questions so that they can have a good time and can learn effectively as well.
2. Packing Toys
Kids love their toys, and we are quite sure that your kids love them too and so it would be a great idea for them to pack their toys all by themselves into boxes. You could start by assigning boxes to each one of your children, and you could ask him to bring his toys from where they are kept and to pack them safely into the boxes. Give some markers, tapes etc. to your children so that they can label their boxes and can know which ones to open later to look for their items.
3. Helping Dad Carry Small Boxes
Children love to help their dads, and you can make the most out of this bonding on the days of moving. This will not only distract the kids and will involve them in major activities but will also create a bonding between the father and the kids, which is essential in the busy schedules dads usually have.
4. The Keep Pile and the Other Piles
For your children above 10 years of age, ask them to go through their books, toys and clothes so that they can decide and determine which things they want to keep and which things they want to get rid of. Give them three empty boxes and three paper sheets along with permanent markers. Ask them to label the boxes with a “keep pile”, “Sell” and “donate”. You can also provide them with plastic bins that they can use to store their items in. Get the children excited and interested in selling the things online or in a garage sale or donating their stuff to a local charity.
5. Tagging and Labeling the Boxes
Ask your children to tag and label all the boxes that you prepare after packing. Give them coloured papers so that the colours attract them and make the process fun and interesting for them. Such activities make their time pass well and make them involved in the entire process, which in turn makes the thought of shifting less burdensome for them.
6. Asking them to make the Floor Plan
You need to make sure that all of the boxes end up in the right rooms at the new place to save time. For this, you can buy magic markers and come up with a colour code for every room in your new place. On the day of moving, ask your kids to draw a floor plan for your new home by labelling each room with an appropriate colour. Make them number the boxes and create a category list of what is inside each box so that you and they both know what to find where.
7. Placing the Boxes according to the Floor Plan
Finally, on the day of moving when you unload the boxes in your new home; make the kids participate in placing the boxes according to the floor plan. Ask them to place the small and light boxes according to the plan safely and carefully. Give them an incentive to do all these tasks so that they are happy while doing all of the work!
It is true that moving can be a difficult task as it not only involves shifting and packing but the next steps such as finding home insurance or updating your accounts are also crucial. Moving in the presence of kids is hectic, but if you strategize and organize the process and involve your children in all of the activities in one-way or the other that interests them, it can all be a lot easier and fun.
