Tips For Moving Your Family To A Condo
Above: For the complete instructions for this craft, check out my tutorial here.
Moving your family to a new home can be both exciting and terrifying, especially if it involves moving to a new city, or moving from a house in the suburbs to a condo in the city! Moving into a new condo is a big decision, and not everyone in your family may feel excited about the change. This is especially true when it comes to kids. If you have older kids, they would likely miss their friends and won’t feel happy about changing schools either. Make the effort to involve the whole family when making this important and life changing decision! Don’t let the kids feel left out and be ready to address their concerns. If you really can’t take the kid’s opinions into consideration as you have already decided to move, there are ways you can make this experience comfortable for each member of your family. And of course a great way to introduce the topic is with some art therapy, so why not paint some milk carton houses and talk about the importance of a home? While you are painting those milk cartons you can even involve the kids in the planning. To get you started, here are five tips to help your family move to a condo.
Inform Your Kids
Kids don’t like surprises, and seeing a for sale sign in front of your house, is certainly not the right way to let them know you’re moving out. It is true, that the necessity to move may come suddenly, and there may not be enough time to prepare them gradually for the news, however you must still call them together to inform them of your plans to move before it becomes public knowledge. Explain to them the reason for the changes and let them know what the new condo or house will be like. You can show even them pictures of the new house online or on the website and tell them the address in order for it to sink in.
Let’s say for instance you’re moving to Canada. If your kids don’t know what living in a condo is like, let them know all the amenities your condo includes. For example, new condos in Yorkville are nearby convenient establishments such as malls, schools, parks, museums, and not far from the river, where you can enjoy the water from the land or hop on a ferry! Get the kids excited about the beautiful modern buildings, the gorgeous views, and show of lights at night, and the new places they will get to visit. Do be ready to hear their thoughts after you reveal the plans to them, and don’t be surprised to hear them oppose the decision. Calmly address their concerns and be positive and happy about the change, and tell them that it will be hard for you too!
Get Started With Sorting
When moving to a new house, you will need to sort through all of your belongings, which can be a really great chance to get rid of, or give away things you no long need. Help your kids sort through their belongings and help them make the right decisions. (I often catch my kids throwing out thing I think they should save, imagine that!) There will be things they are not willing to part with even though they no longer need them, and that is certainly fine, within reason. You shouldn’t force them in any way, as that can lead to emotional scars, so guide them gently. It is also a good idea to have three piles, a yes a no and a maybe. Go through the maybe pile a few days later in order to make decisions that are rational.
Get Ready to Move
Now that everything has been boxed, you will still have some work on your hands. You need to make a checklist of everything you need to do, for example calling the moving company, as well as making sure that the moving truck can pull up somewhere legal on the other end! Assign some of the responsibilities to other members of your family to reduce the burden, but double check everything yourself!
Say Goodbye To Friends
Before you leave, make time to let your neighbors and friends know that you are leaving. Help your kids see their friends before they are separated, or arrange a get together or good by party. If you are really pressed for time, at the least simply send your friends a text or email letting them know your new address. They can always come to visit after you get settled.
Making the Condo a Home
When moving into your new condo with your family, why not work together on the décor to make the new unit your home. Each member can share ideas for the décor, choose paint colors, check what are the best dogs for condo living and decide on where to place the furniture. Settling in should be fun and done together as a family.
