Whether this is your first big move or your fifth, it is likely that you will encounter some of the same moving stresses that most individuals and families do when it is time to relocate. Ensuring that all of your items are sorted and packed, handling change of address forms, and finding new schools and medical providers are just a fraction of the requirements of moving, and if you are not organized, you can easily become overwhelmed. However, you can keep your stress levels down and prepare for a smoother, better move by engaging in a little preparation. In fact, composing a moving checklist is a great way to ensure that everything gets done on time. A moving checklist is also an easy way to involve the whole family in the moving process, so that young children do not feel left out.
The packing and loading up of belongings can be a significant part of any moving checklist; however, there are also multiple other aspects that you and your family should be sure to include on yours. If you are having trouble coming up with bullet points for your moving checklist, think about some of the important things that you may have forgotten about during your last move. For example, if you are moving out of state, you will have to ensure that you visit your new state’s Department of Motor Vehicles office to re-register your vehicles and switch your driver’s licenses. Many people forget that this is a moving expense, so you should be sure to include this on your moving checklist. You can add bullet points such as “find current titles and other financing information, insurance cards and vehicle registrations” to your moving checklist to ensure that you will have the proper documentation to get these tasks handled easily. In addition, if your children will be switching schools, you can include gathering necessary school documentation to your moving checklist.
If you want to involve your younger children in composing the moving checklist, ask them to list their most important belongings to ensure nothing gets left behind. If you want to make the process a little more fun, you can add items such as “draw maps of new bedrooms to show how you would like to set them up.” You can encourage your children to get creative and use markers or paints to decorate their map.
