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HOME > Moving Tips

Moving with Childrren Moving with Kids
Moving Tips to Keep the Whole Family Happy
Laura McHolm of NorthStar Moving

Summer is the most popular time to move to a new home for families. But, whether it's summer, fall, winter or spring, before you pack that first box think about your kids and how the moving process may affect them. Follow these tips from NorthStar Moving and Storage’s expert, Laura McHolm, to keep the move stress-free and the kids entertained! Her company was even featured in the American Girl Movie which addresses the stress of moving on children and how to stand up to bullying.

There are three important pieces to a successful move with kids – timing, getting them involved, and entertainment!

Timing and Transition

Consider the grades your children are currently in. If your eldest is about to be a senior in high school it may be best to let them live with a relative to finish up their high school career with their friends. If your youngest is about to enter middle school this is an ideal time to move as they will be entering a new school either way.
Make the new home their own. Allow the kids to walk through the new house before the move. And, make them feel that they are part of the decision, by letting them choose their own bedroom, the paint colors, etc.
Stay connected to friends, neighbors, and family back home. Arrange web cam time with the children's friends when you move to the new home, it will help make the transition easier when they know they can keep in touch with their old friends. And, set up a play date for the old friends to come over for a sleep over.
Adjust to the new home.
a. Host a party in your new neighborhood and invite children of the same age as your own kid(s) over so that they can make friends. It’s as easy as a pool party, pizza party, or cookout. Try and host the party the first weeks of being in your new home.

b. Take them for a drive by their new school, the local ice cream place, playground, etc. so that they see their new neighborhood has all the same things as the old.

c. Set up a tour of the new school and to meet their new teacher before school starts.

d. If you move in the beginning of the summer, sign the little ones up for camp or other local activities where they can meet the new kids before school starts. It also keeps them out of the house so you can continue the unpacking!
Make some popcorn and let them watch American Girl Chrissa go through a move with NorthStar Moving. Watch with them so you can remind them that they can always talk to you about anything.

Get Them Involved!

Have them arrange their own room. Draw out a floor plan of the rooms in the new house and let the children make paper doll furniture and arrange what they want in their room, while you arrange the other rooms.
Encourage your kids to pack themselves so that they are involved in the moving process. They can have their own boxes and suitcases that they are responsible for. Give them color codes or fun stickers to stick on the boxes that belong in their room. You can oversee this.
Give each child a back pack to fill with overnight items so that you don’t have to dig through boxes. Include their tooth brush, pjs, favorite stuffed animal, favorite bedtime story, etc.
Then give them one box to pack freely that will be the first box that they open in their new room.
Give them a disposable digital camera to take pictures of the move and send the pics to their old friends, or post on Facebook.

Entertainment!

We all know that the key to a successful family road trip is keeping the kids happy in the car, the same goes for the big move. Instead of relying on the DVDs, here are some helpful tips to focus on your surroundings to make the move a positive memory.

Wrap things you were going to give to your children anyway like books with car games, deck of cards, sticker books, puzzle books, joke books, reading books, crayola crayons, fun masks, etc. When you make stops a long your route place the presents on the kids’ seats. When they come back to the car they will have an exciting gift to unwrap and play with! This makes the process more exciting and be sure to save some presents to give to them when you arrive at the new home.
Happy kids are hunger free kids! Have healthy snacks such as grapes, carrots, and string cheese, a loaf of bread, jar of peanut butter and jelly (one sharp knife for spreading) as well as treats like snack size packs of crackers and cookies easily available throughout the move. Avoid juice boxes as they tend to explode. Instead pack bottles of water and glass juice bottles that you can recycle at rest stops. Pack these items with plastic utensils and napkins in clear plastic bags in a cooler. Place the one sharp knife in a plastic bag and tape it to the inside of the cooler for easy and safe access.
Before you head out, sit down with your children with a map. Show them where the new house is and have them help you plan the trip out and then have them follow the map as you make your way to your new home.
Another option is to hire a nanny during the move. The service keeps the little darlings safe, happy and entertained under the watchful eye of a modern day Mary Poppins, while mom and dad focus on the busy moving process!
If you are planning on getting rid of items the children no longer use, do not do it during moving time. Otherwise the children will experience loss, this is not the right time to weed out their things, wait until you are settled in at the new home. Or do the weeding out months before the move so they don’t associate the two events.
Lastly, wrap up some wish list items the children had and put them in their closet at the new home, for them to discover! You can even gift wrap the new bedspread the two of you choose in the catalog together.