Moving--It's A Family Affair

By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group 

Toddlers

Toddlers as well as preschoolers aren't a great deal of help, but they are so fantastically entertained through empty boxes, rolls of tape, and bubble wrap that you simply do not care. Give a four-year-old free rein with packing supplies and you can now blow through their stuff prior to them getting bored and start consuming the packing peanuts. Seriously, offer your youngest ones a carton a bit of tape and go to work. Ask them which toys they want to give away to pals or share with different kids they might not know--it can be a minor item which assists them to feel as though they may have a bit of say in the proceedings.

Elementary Age

If you have youngsters in this age group, they are in the ideal spot--old enough to be hard workers, but not so old that they've strong points of view. Here are some jobs a 3rd grader can easily achieve.

· Sort through their things and select items to give away.

· Put boxes together, organize packing supplies, place color-coded labels on cartons.

· Put giveaway items in bags or cartons.

· Help clear out closets as well as drawers to prepare for the professional movers.

This is a good age group to mention giving gently used games and toys to charitable groups, and also to discuss the reasons you select the ones you do. In the event the non-profit you choose has a thrift shop, take your kids in and allow them to see what it looks like.

Junior High School

Pre-teens and teenagers are hypothetically able to truly pitching in, however it usually takes some creativity to make that occur. These kids are departing from buddies, athletics, and school, and might be more motivated in small-time sabotage rather than really getting into the groove and packing up the storage area. If you wish to resort to bribery to get them on board, it's sort of a small price to give.

· Offer to allow them to choose the paint and pieces of furniture for their new rooms.

· Obtain their insight on what they might love to obtain in a new house. Definitely, they ought to be reasonable, but make sure they know their thoughts matter. Inquire about back yards (trees, playhouses, area for a basketball goal), basements, rec rooms, as well as other stuff that may be on their wish lists. When you evaluate residences online, show them what you like along with what you do not--and talk about exactly why.

· Sell unwanted things and divide the profits. Look at several selling sites to determine which companies are the most effective. Most sites require that sellers be 18 years old, so you'll want to set the profile up and control the sale listings, however your teens might take the photos, upload them, and prepare the information.

· Go the yard sale option and permit them to set up the tables and place price tags on things.

High School and College

These are the tricky years--it can be not easy to move at any age, yet it's particularly rough for high schoolers. The great thing is that while they're rather upset, they are of sufficient age to do a little heavy lifting whilst they pout. Here are several tasks your teenagers can do to pitch in.

· Help with disassembling furniture.

· Smile and let them decorate their rooms precisely like they really want. They're moving out soon enough, and you could always paint over their choice.

· Head up in the attic space and carry items down--teenagers tend to be more nimble than their mother and father (and the majority of professional movers won't enter the attic space).

· Drive loads of stuff to the thrift outlets or even the dump. Pay for their gasoline and junk food along the way.

· Set up trips returning to visit good friends or go ahead and plan for friends to come visit.

· Allow them to sell their own items via the internet if they're over 18 years of age and keep the earnings.

· If you have a yard sale, allow them to take care of the money and the internet sales.

Tell the truth--if you have children attending college, it's completely likely that you have by now transformed that bedroom into a workout room or an home office. When your college students are home on a break before you move, be certain they sort through all their old containers of stuff--you'll still need to move them, however possibly they will purge enough to minimize on the amount.

As the saying goes, “Many hands make light work.” We believe this applies perfectly to moving. Get the entire family involved and in a blink of the eye, you’ll be on your way to your new house. If you need assistance any step of the way, give A-1 Freeman Moving Group a call!!