Moving to a new house can be an exciting experience but also challenging when you have kids in tow. There is a lot to organize when moving into a new property, so balancing this with the daily duties of caring for a family and your job can be overwhelming at times. If you’re a dad who is getting ready to relocate your family to a new home, below are a few tips that might help you prepare them better for the move and make your life a little bit easier.
Encourage Everyone to Declutter
Moving to a new home is a great opportunity to get rid of all of the things you no longer want or need. Nobody wants to take clutter with them to a new house, as this should be seen as a fresh start. If you’re trying to balance home life and a job, you won’t necessarily have a lot of free time to do all of decluttering yourself, and you shouldn’t have to, either. To make this task easier for you, encourage both your partner and your kids to go through their stuff and decide what they want to take with them to the new house and what can go. Kids might be more reluctant to let certain things go, but sit down and explain to them that unless they have played with this toy or have worn that t-shirt in the last year, they probably won’t use it again, and these things can be used by other kids who need them if they donate them. While giving a lot of your unwanted things to a charity is great, if you need a bit of extra income to help you out with the move, you could always look at selling your family’s unwanted stuff online, too.
Organize a Schedule
Another great way to help your family prepare for the move is by organizing a schedule that everything needs to be done by. This includes things like the decluttering process, packing, cleaning, renting a moving van, when you’re going to collect the keys, and ending with the moving date itself. It’s good to give yourself plenty of time to complete all of these things as time does pass quickly, and it’s easy to get distracted by other things that are going on in your life at the same time. To make sure everyone in your family is aware of these deadlines, create a calendar and pin it up on a wall in the kitchen or living room where everyone can see it. You could even get your kids involved in making the calendar with you and decorate it creatively as a fun activity for them. This might also help to get them more excited about the move.
Look into Storage Solutions
If there is going to be some time between moving out of your current property and into the house, you might need to look at renting a storage unit temporarily to keep your stuff safe. Equally, if you’d like to take the basics with you to your new home to make things like decorating easier and leave bigger items of furniture or things you won’t need straight away in storage until this is finished, you’ll need to hire one of these units then as well. They will come in various sizes and are usually very affordable, but the rent you pay will depend on the size of the unit.
Hire a Moving Van
You can hire a moving company to come and pack up your things and move your furniture for you, but if you’re on a tighter budget or would prefer to do this yourself, at the very least, you’re going to need a van to do it. You can rent a van big enough for your move from most car/van rental places, but if you want to make further savings, use these Budget Truck rentals discount codes. Make sure that you book the moving company or van rental in advance so that you don’t run the risk of being left empty-handed on the day of your move.
Reassure Your Kids About the Move
Moving to a new house can be exciting for kids, but it can also be difficult for them if they struggle with change or are sad about leaving their friends behind if you’re moving to a different town. While they might have their tantrums about going, you must try to reassure them about the move and let them know that it should be seen as a positive thing, that it’s an opportunity for them to make new friends and see new places. You might even want to consider taking them to the town you’re moving to if you can, as this might help them get used to what is about to become their new home. You should also remind them that they will still be able to keep in touch with their friends and can video-chat with them or have them come and visit when you’re settled into the new house.
Turn Packing into a Game
Packing up your belongings isn’t fun for anybody, let alone younger kids who just want to go out and play. However, the more people you have helping you out with this task, the quicker it’s over. To get your kids focused on packing up their rooms and other things in the house, find a way to turn this mundane task into a fun game for the whole family. Make it a competition and offers prizes for things like who has packed up the most boxes, who have packed things away most neatly, etc. You could even encourage them by offering rewards at the end of the day, like going out for dinner or watching a movie of their choice. Whatever it is you decide to use to incentivize your kids, you’ll see how much quicker you can them to participate in helping out with getting everything you own into boxes.
Moving to a new house should be a fun and happy experience for your family, but there is no denying that this can also be a stressful period. To help your family prepare for their move, use the tips above to help you stay organized and keep everyone happy.