Moving to Killeen--It's A Family Affair

By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group 

Small Children

Toddlers and also preschoolers are not a lot of help, however they are so fantastically entertained through empty boxes, rolls of tape, and also bubble wrap that you really will not care. Offer a four-year-old free rein with packing materials and you could push through their stuff before they get uninterested and start consuming the packing peanuts. In all seriousness, give your littlest kids a box and some tape and get to work. Inquire which playthings they would like to present to friends or share with other youngsters they do not know--it can be a small thing which helps them feel like they've got a little say in the process.

Elementary Age

If you have youngsters in this age range, they're in the sweet place--old enough to be helpful, but not so old that they have robust points of view. These are some tasks a third grader can easily accomplish.

· Sort through their stuff and determine what to keep.

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

· Put giveaway things in bags or boxes.

· Help empty out closets and also drawers to be ready for the professional movers.

This is an excellent age group to talk about contributing gently used toys and games to charitable organizations, and to discuss the reason why you pick the ones you do. In the event the non-profit you select possesses a thrift retail outlet, take your youngsters in and let them see exactly what it looks like.

Junior High School

Pre-teens as well as teenagers are hypothetically capable of really pitching in, but it may take a little imagination to make that occur. These children are leaving friends, sporting activities, and school, and may be more interested in small-time sabotage than genuinely entering into the groove and packing up the garage. If you wish to use bribery to get them agreeable, it truly is sort of a little cost to give.

· Offer to permit them to choose the paint and household furniture for their new rooms.

· Acquire their input on what they will enjoy to obtain in a new home. Certainly, they must be realistic, yet let them know their thoughts make a difference. Inquire about back yards (trees, playhouses, space for a putting green), basements, recreation rooms, as well as other things that might be on their wish lists. When you view residences online, show them which you like as well as what you don't--and express exactly why.

· Advertise gently used stuff and divide the proceeds. Try various selling websites to understand which of them work most effectively. Most websites require that sellers be 18 years old, so you will have to set the accounts up and control the auction or sale listings, however your teens might take the photographs, upload them, and prepare the descriptions.

· Go the garage sale option and let them arrange the tables and put price tags on items.

High School and College

These are the challenging years--it can be hard to move at any age, but it is exceptionally hard for high schoolers. The great thing is that although they may be rather disappointed, they're old enough to accomplish a little hard work whilst they pout. Here are some tasks your young adults can do to pitch in.

· Help with taking apart home furnishings.

· Smile and permit them to adorn their bedrooms exactly like they really want. They are leaving soon enough, and you may definitely paint over their choice.

· Head up in the attic and bring things down--teenagers tend to be more nimble when compared with their mom and dad (and the majority of professional movers won't go into the attic).

· Drive loads of stuff to the thrift shops or the dump. Buy their gas and junk food in the process.

· Set up trips returning to visit buddies or go on and plan for pals to come visit.

· Allow them to sell their own stuff via the internet should they be over 18 and keep the earnings.

· If you hold a garage sale, permit them to manage the money and the internet sales.

Tell the truth--if you've got children attending college, it is totally likely that you've previously converted that bedroom into a fitness room or an office. When your college students are home on a break prior to when you move to Killeen, make sure they go through all their old cartons of stuff--you are going to still need to move them, however maybe they will clear away enough to minimize on the volume.