If you’re planning a move with the family, whether locally, long-distance, across the country, or around the world, get ready for an adventure. The mere fact of changing your surroundings—even if it’s just down the street—is bound to be a memorable experience for the entire family to remember forever.

As exciting as relocation can be, planning, organizing, and executing the perfect moving experience can be tricky. This is especially true when making the transition with children in tow. Children can be quite susceptible to the ups and downs of the moving process. While it’s certainly possible to enjoy a move with kids, knowing what to expect and how to plan to avoid common moving mistakes can make the difference between a calm, stress-free, and pleasant experience and sheer chaos.

At Arnoff Moving and Storage, we’re a family-owned and operated company that’s been moving families for almost a century. In this article, our professional team of movers from Arnoff Moving & Storage will help you make the most out of your next move with kids by sharing our top 5 most helpful tips for facilitating an easy relocation process.

Breaking the News: When and How to Tell Your Kids You’re Moving

The age of your children will make a big difference as to how you tell the kids you’re moving. When to tell them, however, is a different story. For all kids, no matter how young or old they are, telling them early is your best bet for making the transition as smooth as possible—both mentally and physically. As soon as you know you’re moving and the decision is final, it’s a good moment to break the news to the entire family.

The best advice we have for this step is, to be honest, and communicative. Hold a family meeting and answer their questions. The older they are, the more likely they are to have more of them. Be reassuring, and make sure to have a list of benefits prepared to outweigh the negatives. For example, if the new city you’re living in is closer to the beach, or if you’re going to have more space at the new house.

Getting Organized

Getting organized is key to making the entire ordeal a smooth and memorable experience for the family. Starting early and hiring professional movers to help is highly recommended. If you are hiring movers, we advise booking your movers at least two months in advance or more, if possible. If you do decide to hire movers to help, ask your moving company for a free, no-obligation pricing estimate and consultation with a moving coordinator in your home.

During this initial meeting, you’ll be able to ask your moving coordinator for help organizing your entire relocation and to explain the different residential moving services they provide—which might include creating a specialized moving calendar filled with important dates and tasks to complete before moving day arrives.

Clearly, the number one thing that can and will complicate a moving project is leaving everything to the last minute. If you’re planning the move on your own, take the time to create a moving calendar with weekly tasks to complete up until your relocation day is here. Fill the calendar with tasks for everyone in the family to take charge of—from gathering packing supplies to making an inventory list of your belongings, and make sure that everything gets done on time. This will prevent you from leaving everything until the last minute and experiencing a very stressful moving experience.

Color Coding and Age-Appropriate Tasks

Packing is one of the most challenging parts of the moving process. Get the family involved by assigning specific packing chores to everyone. For example, the little ones can be tasked with packing their toys or clothing, while the older ones can be tasked with packing up their entire rooms.

To make things a lot easier for the movers, have each child label their boxes in a personalized way. You can buy them colored packing or duct tape, stickers, labels, or use wide-tip markers to decorate the boxes with the names of each member of the family marked clearly on them.

Packing at Night (Or Hiring a Babysitter)

Most parents know how difficult it can be to get anything done with very small children. If you’re finding it hard to get anything done with the kids underfoot, hire a babysitter to take care of them in the yard or in another room for a few hours on weekends to dedicate the time to packing. You can also plan to pack at night once the little ones are asleep for a quiet, stress-free, productive packing session that you and the older members of the family can enjoy.

To make it even more fun, put on some nice, relaxing music and open a bottle of wine for the adults, and spend the evening packing and making progress.

Hold a Family Garage Sale

The best way to relocate is to streamline your moving experience as much as possible. Specifically, this means weeding out the items you don’t use, don’t need, and no longer want from the items you’re planning on taking with you. While it’s a good idea to donate and give away as much as you can, selling the rest can help you raise funds for moving or for another cause.

Getting the family involved with the sale can be a great idea, so let them separate the things they want to sell and set up their stands. For even more motivation, have a family meeting to decide what the money will be used for—whether it’s for a family vacation, patio or pool furniture for the new house, a new television set, or something else that everyone can get excited about.

Hiring Professionals to Help Your Family Move

Moving a family isn’t for the faint at heart. Making the process easier by hiring skilled professionals to handle it for you can be the most efficient way to complete a relocation project, especially with kids around.

At Arnoff Moving & Storage, we’ve been serving our customers for almost an entire century—since our beginnings in Lakeville, Connecticut in 1924. Our long history as one of the most trusted and reputable movers on the East Coast began with the slogan “Let Our Family Move Your Family,” a testament to the love and dedication our founders had for serving families with children.

Today, as fifth-generation movers, our mission to help families with kids make smooth, easy moves across New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Florida, and around the world is just as strong as ever. We’ve become one of the East Coast’s most trusted moving companies in the United States, with superior-quality relocation services, a team of highly trained and seasoned professionals, and affordable rates for our households and families with children making moves near and far.

With full-service options and customizable plans, our customers are able to pick and choose the help they need to organize the most successful move possible. Whether it’s full packing and crating, set-up and assembly of furniture, or specialized moving services, you can count on us to offer exactly what you need to experience an unforgettable, positive moving experience.

If you’re looking for professional movers with the expertise, state-of-the-art tools and equipment, and the personalized, friendly service you need to plan a move with kids, look no further. Give us a call at Arnoff Moving & Storage to speak with one of our team members over the phone, or fill out an online form to schedule a free, no-obligation moving consultation and pricing estimate in your own home today.