How many people do you know actually consider moving fun? Not many, I’d bet. And children in particular have a tendency to give up quickly. After all, it’s boring, boxes can be heavy, and they’d rather be playing with their friends. But you can make moving more pleasurable. Here are some ways to involve the children and make moving fun for the entire family.
First, don’t rush – If you wait until the last minute, you’ll be in a hurry. And when things don’t go as planned, you’ll get frustrated. When people get frustrated, tensions rise and tempers flare. Before you know it, you’ll all be hot and bothered. Instead of putting the family through that, start the process early. That way you won’t feel rushed and you can take your time and to do it right.
Play the Moving Game – Moving is a chaotic, especially with young children, so why not figure out a way to make it more amusing. One way to do that is to play a game. For instance, see who can move the most number of boxes. Or you can see who can clean and then pack their room the fastest. One family I know had a family member in each room and raced to see who could fill up more trash bags full of items to toss (they were downsizing). Once the moving truck is packed and you start driving, you can play a road game, such as how many state license plates you can see or the alphabet game.
Create a moving playlist – Who doesn’t like listening to music when they move? It can make the time go faster. Have everyone come up with songs to play around a moving theme, or you can stick to one genre of music. You could even have each person create a playlist for each phase of the move (for instance, packing, traveling, cleaning, etc.)
Eat a good meal – Young singles like to have moving parties and order pizza once they’ve arrived at the new home. You can do something similar. Let the winner of one of your games pick where you eat. Once you’re all moved in, order Chinese take-out or, better yet, visit the first fast food restaurant you see once you reach your destination and go through the drive-thru.
