5 Easy Ways to Make Moving Fun for Your Kids

Moving is stressful. So much to do, so much to plan, and so much to worry about. You can easily forget that your kids feel all the same things that you do, except they feel even more uncertain, and they don’t know what to do about it. However, you have many different ways to remedy this problem and even make moving fun for your kids. These tips are easy and inexpensive, and they work for kids of all ages.

1. House-hunt together.

Make your children feel like they have some say in where you live. If you can actually take them with you, turn the process into a quest or game, like bingo. On the bingo card, check off appealing features for each house you look including the number of bedrooms, a basketball hoop, a pool, etc.

If you can’t physically take your children house-hunting, take plenty of pictures to show them afterwards. Show them which room would be theirs, what the backyard looks like, and so on. Familiarizing them with the new house before the move will make the transition that much easier.

2. Create a playlist.

Music keeps your kids happy and motivated. You can create one big playlist for the entire process, or you can even create a few playlists for each step: packing, driving, and unpacking. Compile a bunch of favorite songs or look for music that has to do with travel, saying goodbye, change, and so on. You can even make packing a sort of dance-just pack to the beat of the music.

3. Create a contact book.

You have several options if you want to create a contact book, and you can decide which will work best for your child. Make a scrapbook and compile photos of places and friends, as well as email addresses and phone numbers.

If your children get a yearbook at the end of the school year, help them get their friends’ contact information along with well wishes and signatures. If your children are too young to put together a contact book themselves, have someone special to them do it, like their grandparents or a favorite babysitter.

4. Pack a “treasure box”.

Have one box for each child. Your children can put their favorite things inside: blankets, books, stuffed animals, so on. They can even decorate the box with stickers and markers. Like with the contact book, if your children are too young to decorate themselves, have someone special decorate it for them.

Make sure this box stays with you instead of putting it in the moving truck. This way, your kids can open it first thing at the new house. You can even have the box in the car with your children so they can even have their favorite things with them on the journey. When you finally arrive at the new house, they’ll already have something special and familiar to make the place feel like home.

5. Plan something fun.
   

   © Jen Grantham | jen@jengrantham.com

Take everyone’s minds off the sadness of leaving friends behind and the fear of something new by doing something fun on the way there. Find an amusement park, a museum, a water park, a national park, or any other fun attractions that lies along your route. This tip doesn’t just apply to your kids either-you can enjoy it too. Just relax and have fun, and let the stress of the move float away for a couple hours.

Make the move an adventure, and include your kids in the process. You’ll be happier, they’ll be happier, and you’ll all be much more prepared to get accustomed to your new home.