Family Moving Tips

Anything is possible when people work together. There is no better example of a team than the family unit. Together a family is able to accomplish whatever they set their minds to, but moving can potentially disrupt this cohesion. Here are some tips to maximize all members of the family during your move.

Prepare Your Children for the Move

The type of preparation necessary depends on the age of your children. Younger children don’t need to know too much ahead of time, and can be involved at the lowest level of participation. Usually, children feel important when asked to help with projects, more than likely they will gladly “help” as much as possible. Older children will be better teammates when given as much advance notice as possible and can be almost equal partners in the workload. Teenagers especially will need some time to get over the initial shock of being uprooted from their comfort zone and friends, and advanced warning will hopefully allow the initial shock to wane enough to become valuable partners in the moving process.

Take Advantage of Your Family’s Strengths

Each family has a unique set of skills. Some members are extremely organized, physically strong, or well connected socially. All of these attributes can be used during the move. Employ the organizer in the family to make checklists. Save some money on movers by utilizing your family’s physical strength. Tap into the social connections to find moving boxes, mover recommendations, or a truck to borrow. Figure out your family’s assets and put them to good use during your moving process.

Involve Extended Family

This tip is especially helpful for families with infants and toddlers. If you are in this season of life, drop them off with grandma or grandpa on a heavy moving day to ensure you can focus with minimal distractions as well as ensure safety of everyone. If moving out of state, ask a family member to drive with your family to your new home to help unload and possibly transport extra vehicles. Moving as a family will require all the help you can get, extended family can provide those extra hands.