Moving--It's A Family Affair

By Julie DeLong, Oil Capitol Relocation 

Preschoolers

Toddlers as well as preschoolers are not a lot of help, however they are so wonderfully amused simply by unfilled cartons, rolls of tape, as well as bubble wrap that you really do not care. Give a four-year-old free rein with packing supplies and you can blow through their stuff prior to them getting bored and start consuming the packing peanuts. In all seriousness, provide your youngest ones a box a bit of tape and get to work. Find out which toys they want to donate to friends or share with other youngsters they don't know--it can be a minor item that enables them to feel as though they have some say in the process.

Elementary Age

For those who have youngsters in this age range, they are in the ideal position--old enough to be hard workers, however, not so old that they have strong points of view. These are some duties a third grader can certainly accomplish.

· Look through their stuff and choose items to keep.

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

· Put giveaway stuff in bags or cartons.

· Help empty closets and drawers to prepare for the professional movers.

This is a good age range to mention donating gently used toys and games to charitable organizations, as well as to explain the reasons you pick the ones you do. When the non-profit you select has a thrift shop, take your children in and allow them to observe what it looks like.

Middle School

Pre-teens and teenagers are in theory capable of truly pitching in, but it might take a bit of creativity to make that occur. These kids are departing from friends, sports activities, and school, and might be more engaged in small-time sabotage rather than genuinely getting in the swing and sorting through the garage. If you need to resort to bribery to get them on board, it truly is sort of a modest price to invest.

· Offer to allow them to select the shade and furniture for their new rooms.

· Obtain their insight on what they will really like to have in a new house. Obviously, they need to be practical, but make sure they know their views matter. Inquire about back yards (trees, playhouses, room for a swimming pool), basements, rec rooms, along with other stuff that may be on their wish lists. When you evaluate homes via the internet, show them which you like and what you don't--and explain the reasons why.

· Advertise unwanted belongings and divide the proceeds. Consider several selling websites to determine which ones work most effectively. Most websites require that sellers be 18, thus you'll have to set the profile up and manage the sale listings, however your kids could take the photographs, upload them, and write the information.

· Go the garage sale route and let them set up the tables and put price tags on things.

High School and College

These are the challenging years--it's not easy to move at any age, however it is exceptionally tough for high schoolers. The great thing is that although they may be rather unhappy, they really are old enough to perform a little heavy lifting while they sulk. Here are some items your teens can perform to pitch in.

· Help with disassembling household furniture.

· Smile and permit them to embellish their rooms completely like they really want. They may be moving out soon enough, and you could definitely paint over their choice.

· Get up in the attic and carry stuff down--teenagers are far more agile compared to their mom and dad (and the majority of professional movers won't enter in the attic).

· Drive loads of stuff to the thrift shops or perhaps the dump. Cover their gasoline and junk food on the way.

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

· Let them to sell their own things via the internet should they be over 18 years old and keep the proceeds.

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

Be truthful--if you have kids in college, it is entirely likely that you've already converted that bedroom into a fitness room or an home office. If your university students are home on a break prior to when you move, make sure they're going through all their old containers of stuff--you'll still need to move them, however maybe they will clear away enough to minimize on the amount.

As the saying goes, “Many hands make light work.” We feel this applies perfectly to moving. Get the whole family involved and quicker than quick, you will be on your way to your new home. If you need assistance any step of the way, give Oil Capitol Relocation in Tulsa and Oklahoma City a call!!