Moving to the Raleigh, NC area is a joyful time, but it can still be very difficult on kids- especially if they are of school age, with friends, favorite teachers, and class activities that they are having to move away from.
Make Your Relocation to Raleigh NC With Children Easier
Though the move may be hard for kids in general, the part most parents dread is the drive to your new home. Unless you are staying in the same city, or an area close by, you will probably end up with more than a few hours of driving to reach your new Raleigh area real estate all the while dealing with a grumpy child in the backseat. What are parents to do? Never fear, I have a few tricks I have learned over the years as an expert North Raleigh real estate agent:
Have a basket of entertainment at easy reach. For younger children, keep the basket full of their favorite toys, books, and snacks. Hand out one item at a time, so younger children will get some good entertainment out of each one before they get bored. For older children, perhaps take them to a books store to buy a book they would enjoy reading, let them pick out an age appropriate magazine. Highlights, Zoo Books American Girl, are great for the tween years.
Have snacks on hand. Even the grumpiest child will cheer up when given his favorite snacks. If the move is particularly hard on your child, perhaps splurge and get some items he or she has always wanted -like those double stuff oreos-but you never deemed as appropriate lunch food.
Get the addresses of all your children’s best friends, and let your children pick out their own stationary so they can write their friends about the trip to your new home. If your children are upset about losing friends, this can be a great opportunity to help them realize they can still keep their friends. There are lots of great car travel trays you can find at Walmart,Target and other such stores, that will provide a great flat surface for your children to write on. This also provides a great way for your children to realize they can still stay in touch with their friends, and provides a great way to work on their writing skills. Even if you children are older and in the texting/twitter/facebook way of communicating with all their friends, they may still enjoy the novelty of writing a letter to pass the time.
If your drive will be more than 6-8 hours, it might be a good idea to invest in a portable DVD play for the car. As much as I myself dislike entertaining children with the tv for hours at a time, on a very long drive, a short movie or cartoon might be just the trick to help ease squirmy passangers, and give you parents some downtime from entertaining.
Learn More About Relocating To Raleigh
Are you Relocating to the Raleigh, NC area? Be sure to ask for our FREE personalized Raleigh Area Relocation Guide to get all the businesses, Raleigh area schools and other local Raleigh activity informaiton make the area of Raleigh one of the greatest places to raise a family. All our tips will help you get settled quickly and to prepare even more for your move, read up on our Raleigh moving tips.
If you are ready to search Raleigh homes for sale, or would like to browse the Pittsburgh MLS, then contact me, Jim Allen, your expert Raleigh Realtor.
Until next time,
Jim
