We are moving to a new house this week, and we couldn't be more excited. It's not easy with two small children, but we have found some ways to make it a little bit easier.
1. Get them involved with packing up their toys as much as possible. I thought that Ethan would hate packing up his toys and would resist putting anything away, but he actually loved being helpful and choosing which toys would fit into the box. It was great for problem solving and space as well, he really learned what would fit into different size boxes!
2. Let them decorate their own boxes so they can recognise which ones hold their prized possessions. Ethan was always watching as I wrote on the sides of the boxes and he wanted to help. Great for his mark making and early writing skills, and just fun to be able to draw on such a large surface!
3. Read stories about moving to make them feel prepared, we got one called Moving House that has really helped Ethan to understand the whole process, and it had stickers to keep him busy!
4. Visit the house or look at photos of the house whenever you can. The last time that we moved I used to show Ethan photos of the house quite often, I remember him being so interested in the bathroom and seeing the new tub where he would being having baths every night.
5. Let them mark their territory with bedroom door signs to put on their new rooms as soon as they arrive at the new house. We made these before going to the new house for the first time and Ethan was so excited to hang his on his new door.
6. Pack an overnight bag of everything that they will need on that first night, including all of their bedtime routine elements, special cup, bath toys, bedtime story, cuddly toys as well as all of the essentials like toothbrush, pyjamas and clothes for the next day. This way you've got all of the important things together and you don't have to go searching for things after a very busy day.
7. Prepare all of their meals and snacks for the day in advance. There's nothing worse than a hungry and grumpy child on a busy day!
8. Keep them busy on moving day, we made moving day survival kits for friends of ours
9. Try to set up the childrens' new bedrooms first. They don't need to be completely set up, but just putting out a few familiar items could make a big difference. We've got wall stickers up in their current rooms, and they'll be one of the first things to go up again as they're so easy to move.
10. Don't forget to say goodbye to the old house. When we moved from our last house we made the cutest video of Ethan saying goodbye to each room before we left for the last time. He loves to watch it and remember his first home, and it gave him real closure. You make so many memories in a house, it's nice to go around and reminisce about all the fun that you had, and of course talk about all of the fun that is yet to come in the new house!
1. Get them involved with packing up their toys as much as possible. I thought that Ethan would hate packing up his toys and would resist putting anything away, but he actually loved being helpful and choosing which toys would fit into the box. It was great for problem solving and space as well, he really learned what would fit into different size boxes!
2. Let them decorate their own boxes so they can recognise which ones hold their prized possessions. Ethan was always watching as I wrote on the sides of the boxes and he wanted to help. Great for his mark making and early writing skills, and just fun to be able to draw on such a large surface!
3. Read stories about moving to make them feel prepared, we got one called Moving House that has really helped Ethan to understand the whole process, and it had stickers to keep him busy!
4. Visit the house or look at photos of the house whenever you can. The last time that we moved I used to show Ethan photos of the house quite often, I remember him being so interested in the bathroom and seeing the new tub where he would being having baths every night.
5. Let them mark their territory with bedroom door signs to put on their new rooms as soon as they arrive at the new house. We made these before going to the new house for the first time and Ethan was so excited to hang his on his new door.
6. Pack an overnight bag of everything that they will need on that first night, including all of their bedtime routine elements, special cup, bath toys, bedtime story, cuddly toys as well as all of the essentials like toothbrush, pyjamas and clothes for the next day. This way you've got all of the important things together and you don't have to go searching for things after a very busy day.
7. Prepare all of their meals and snacks for the day in advance. There's nothing worse than a hungry and grumpy child on a busy day!
8. Keep them busy on moving day, we made moving day survival kits for friends of ours
9. Try to set up the childrens' new bedrooms first. They don't need to be completely set up, but just putting out a few familiar items could make a big difference. We've got wall stickers up in their current rooms, and they'll be one of the first things to go up again as they're so easy to move.
10. Don't forget to say goodbye to the old house. When we moved from our last house we made the cutest video of Ethan saying goodbye to each room before we left for the last time. He loves to watch it and remember his first home, and it gave him real closure. You make so many memories in a house, it's nice to go around and reminisce about all the fun that you had, and of course talk about all of the fun that is yet to come in the new house!
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