Getting Your Kids to Help You Pack for the Move Without Fights

Trying to get your kids to help you with anything takes planning and patience. Getting them to help with your household move might feel impossible.

Kids don’t love change, and moving is a big one. But getting them on board with your decision may be easier than you think.

If you treat your kids like you would want for yourself, you may discover that they’re up to the challenge. Here are a few things you can do to get started.

Be Transparent

The idea of someone doing all your packing for you may feel like a dream. Of course, if that person was also thinning out your belongings, you might worry about it.

Kids, like adults, prefer to make their own decisions about their possessions. So if you’re going to talk to them about sorting out clutter to donate or give away, it’s best to speak plainly about it.

Tell them the limits for the moving truck and your new home. Give them boxes or bins to pack, not garbage bags. They’ll be more confident that you won’t throw it out that way.

Set Age-Appropriate Goals

If you don’t have much time before you move, you may end up investing a lot of your spare time in packing. But that doesn’t mean your kids have to spend all day on the task.

Brainstorm with your kids to come up with some packing goals they can achieve. Turn goal-setting into an activity that your kids will enjoy, with benchmarks you would like them to perform.

Just make sure that they can achieve them. No one feels motivated by a star that they can’t catch.

Allow Kids to Monitor Progress

Most kids thrive on an understanding of where they are going. If you allow your kids to track their progress, they may be better at it than you are.

Let your children choose from various chart templates and encourage them to work on it each day. Make one up for the adults in the house and remind them to keep track of how you’re doing.

Give Prizes

Giving prizes to your kids for their work on packing may feel like a bribe. And good parents don’t bribe, right? It depends on the situation.

It’s better if you think of prizes for goals as a means of motivation. After all, you don’t work all day for the fun of it. Money is your motivator.

Don’t feel like you have to go overboard on the prizes. Choose something small for each benchmark and a slightly bigger item or activity for the final.

Don’t Overestimate Your Commitment

Keep in mind that your children will look to you for the right energy level they need to use for the task. If you hate it, they’ll hate it too.

If you put it off until the last minute, they probably will, too.

Be realistic about your needs and how your own behaviors can get in the way. Manage that, and your kids will have an easier time sticking to the plan.

Call in Help

Packing with kids doesn’t have to be a nightmare. By inspiring them early, you may find everything you need. 

To find out how professional moving services can take away your moving stress, call us for a price quote.