Moving to Colorado Springs--It's A Family Affair

By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group 

Preschoolers

Toddlers as well as preschoolers aren't a lot of help, but they are so wonderfully entertained simply by empty boxes, rolls of tape, as well as bubble wrap that you just don't mind. Provide a four-year-old free rein with packing supplies and you could blow through their things before they get bored and start consuming the packing peanuts. Seriously, provide your youngest ones a box and a little tape and get to work. Find out which playthings they want to present to pals or share with different youngsters they do not know--it is a minor thing that enables them to feel as if they have a little say in the proceedings.

Elementary Age

When you have children in this age group, they may be in the ideal place--old enough to be hard workers, however, not so old that they have strong points of view. These are some tasks a 3rd grader can readily achieve.

· Look through their stuff and determine what to give away.

· Put boxes together, prepare packing materials, put color-coded labels on boxes.

· Put giveaway stuff in bags or cartons.

· Help empty out closets as well as drawers to get ready for the professional movers.

This is an excellent age group to discuss giving old toys and games to charitable groups, and also to discuss the reasons you choose the ones you do. If the non-profit you select has a thrift store, bring your children in and allow them to see what it looks like.

Middle School

Pre-teens as well as teens are hypothetically able to genuinely pitching in, however it may take some creativity to make that occur. These children are departing from friends, sports, and school, and could be more interested in small-time sabotage compared to really getting into the swing and packing up the garage. If you wish to turn to bribery to get them agreeable, it truly is sort of a small cost to invest.

· Offer to allow them to choose the shade and pieces of furniture for their new bedrooms.

· Get their input on what they'd love to have in a new home. Obviously, they must be practical, yet make sure they know their views matter. Inquire about yards (trees, playhouses, room for a swimming pool), basements, recreation rooms, and other items that may be on their wish lists. If you look at houses online, show them which you prefer along with what you do not--and explain the reason why.

· Advertise old things and split the earnings. Consider various selling sites to figure out which companies are the most effective. Most sites require that sellers be 18, thus you will have to set the profile up and control the listings, but your teens might take the pictures, upload them, and compose the descriptions.

· Go the yard sale route and allow them to arrange the tables and place price tags on items.

High School and College

These are the difficult years--it is hard to move at any age, yet it's exceptionally tough for high schoolers. The good news is that although they are rather sad, they really are old enough to do a little hard work while they sulk. Here are a few items your young adults can carry out to pitch in.

· Help with taking apart pieces of furniture.

· Smile and let them decorate their rooms completely like they really want. They may be moving out soon enough, and you may always paint over their choice.

· Go up in the attic space and get stuff down--teenagers are far more nimble when compared with their mom and dad (and most professional movers will not enter the attic space).

· Drive loads of things to the second hand shops or perhaps the garbage dump. Pay for their gasoline and junk food on the way.

· Organize journeys back to see close friends or go ahead and plan for friends to come visit.

· Let them to sell their own things on the internet if they're more than 18 and keep the profits.

· If you hold a yard sale, permit them to handle the cash and the internet sales.

Tell the truth--if you've got children in college, it may be completely probable that you have previously turned that bedroom into a fitness room or even an home office. When your college students are home on a break before you move to Colorado Springs, make sure they go through all their old containers of stuff--you'll still have to move them, however perhaps they can remove enough to cut back on the quantity.