During the moving process it’s nice to have your kids around to provide you with moral support and help out with a variety of tasks, such as clearing out possessions and packing them neatly into boxes ready for removals day (don’t forget removals quotes are based on volume so the more you take the more you’ll pay). They can even come with ideas on where to put things in your new house and how to organise each room.
When it comes to moving day, you may be apprehensive that the upheaval could have a knock-on effect to school work, sleep patterns or activities with friends and family, and wonder when the best time to move is to limit any negative effects. There are a number of options available, all of which have pros and cons – which one you pick will generally depend on your individual circumstances and how old your children are. For example, teenagers may be less affected in terms of sleep patterns than younger children.
If you want to have your children around you on the moving day, it's a great idea to give them a job. How about asking them to put colour coded stickers on the boxes so that, for instance, purple stickers are for their bedroom, yellow for the kitchen etc. This keeps them busy and useful!
School holidays
Moving during the school holidays is one of the most popular choices for families, particularly the summer holidays. Without school to worry about parents are often less stressed and can dedicate more time to ensuring the family spends time together, but because there are so many jobs to do once the move has completed parents often find themselves with a never-ending list of jobs to do and bored children who don’t have anything to do. Without school to occupy their time during the time, they may get restless and unhappy. In addition, moves in the school holidays can be expensive as removal companies know it’s a popular time.
Bank holiday weekends
Bank holiday weekends are also very popular moving dates but bear in mind these also draw a premium price. They allow you to move without taking time off work which is very attractive to many homeowners but you’ll be back at work very soon after the move which may be a negative point if you have a lot of jobs – for example unpacking or buying furnishings – that you want to complete. However, the extra day can be very useful for getting last minute things done, and gives you the chance to spend some extra time with your kids before they go back to school.
Saturday
If your move is small then you could move on a Saturday, the advantage being your kids see little disruption as they are back at school on Monday. You’re back at work too, although if you wanted to take the day off you could have a day free to get a lot of stuff done before your children return home. This can be good for younger children who may get stressed out at home with the upheaval, although bear in mind that two days is not a lot of time and you’ll be back at work sooner than you know. For smaller moves however, this may not be too much of a problem.
Communication is very important when moving with children, especially younger ones. Make sure they are happy with the proceedings – with such a large upheaval, it’s important they don’t get too stressed out. When your children are happy, you’re happy, and you can put more effort into getting your home ready for the family’s new life!