Entertain your kids during a move
Traveling with kids is not always easy, especially if you are moving to a new city. Children don’t cope with things like a grown person would and they need a lot of attention. Moving to a new place can be hard even for adults, so you must take great care of children’s needs during a move. Let’s embark together on this journey and learn how to entertain your kids during a move.
Root cause
Let’s see how to entertain your kids during a move. Try to understand the root of their boredom. Ask yourself these questions:
- How does my child feel about moving?
- Is my child hungry or thirsty?
- Did my child have enough sleep?
Watch your child and try to figure out their emotions. Talk with them often, ask them questions and address the issues on time. Explain the situation, they need to be mentally prepared for a move. Make them feel safe and secure.
Get them excited
It will be much easier to entertain your kids during a move if you get them excited first. Engage them in preparations and packing, make them feel involved. There are lots of activities children can get involved in that will improve their mood.
Create a wish list with your kids
Ask your kids about what they expect from their new home. If they would like a bigger room, backyard, or a move-in gift that will surprise them.
Create a plan for your kids’ new room
Take out some crayons and paper and let them draw how they imagine their new room will look like. Let them pick colors and arrange where will their toys go. Make them feel creative.
Help your kids create a memory book
Take a lot of photos of your old place and have your child glue them in a book. Your child’s friends could also write some farewell messages and their contact numbers. This way they can stay in touch, and you can read those messages to your child during a move.
Your children need to stay connected to their friends
Throw a farewell party
Invite your children’s friends and make this day special, let it be about them. This way they can say goodbye of their old place with some happy memories and joyful thoughts.
The night before
Spend the last night in your old home with your kids. Watch a cartoon together, think of happy thoughts and talk about how the new place will look like. Emphasize in how many ways the new home will be an improvement. Have your kids go to bed early and get a full night sleep to prepare them for a move.
Whether a bus or a plane or a car or a train
It is important to consider the way of transportation you are using. It makes a great difference in the number of activities you can do to entertain your kids during a move.
If you are moving by plane, your children will have limited space. It is not possible to make breaks or shortstops, so if it’s a long flight prepare for it. Bring some books so you can read stories to them. Try to talk to them a lot. If they are sleepy even better, they will get a good rest and be in a better mood. Larger planes usually have small built-in displays, so they can watch cartoons.
Moving by bus may be challenging for little kids. Rides are always bumpy, they can get travel sickness. Be prepared and have some medications in stock. You can also read some stories to your kids, talk to them or watch a cartoon on your phone. Newer yell or have them see that you are nervous or tired.
Best recommendation is to use the car. This is the most common way of transportation, and it offers a lot of activities you can do. You are not limited by time or space, and you can make stops whenever you feel like it.
Entertain your kids during a move with a wide range of activities
Be prepared when the day comes. Spend some time and do a research online. Read about other people’s experiences with kids when moving. You will have an insight into what to expect and how to react. Prepare a lot of fun activities for your children and use them when needed.
Listen to some music
Get your children headphones and some kids music. You can also play songs in your car or sing a song together. This way the children will stay active and involved.
Technology to the rescue – help your kids connect
Cartoons or apps
Not everyone likes to use tablets to have their kids entertained. For this situation, it proved to be very useful. Your children will be busy watching cartoons, which will give you some time to rest. Time flies by in the company of technology so use it to your benefit. Make sure that you find apps for kids that don’t need the internet connection.
Bring toys to the party
When packing, ask your children what toys they will bring along. Make sure that you don’t pack those and put them in the car. Your children will feel more secure with a familiar toy.
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a king…
You guessed it, it’s story time. Kids love stories! It occupies their entire attention span. Have them ask for what is going to happen next and they will not have the time to think about complaining. Bring their favorite book. Find audio recordings of their favorite fairy tales and play them on the road.
Stories are a good way to entertain your kids during a move
Inspire creativity
Help your children develop their creative side. They can draw, or use clay dough, but be careful, that can create a mess. Creative children will always know how to entertain themselves. Look at this as a long-term investment in their future.
It’s snack time
Have a decent supply of snacks for the road. Sugar raises cortisol levels which is good for stressful situations. Have in mind that too much sugar is not good for your children. You can also make some healthy treats that the entire family can enjoy. A good advice is to check the road for any stops where you can replenish your stock and make a little break.
Travel kits to keep the children occupied
You can also check the internet to find travel kits for children. They are specially made for kids to use when traveling, so give it a try.
Car games
Car games provide great fun for children and for adults. They make the entire family interact and with car games, the time flies. Check the internet and do a little research to find out what interesting games you can teach your children, so you can all have fun together.
Best of luck during your move
With this, we conclude our little guide on how to entertain your kids during a move. You will bond with your children more and prepare them for a stress-free move to their new house. Happy thoughts create a happy future. Bon voyage!