FREE New Home Scavenger Hunt | Moving Tips for Kids

Get ready for the big move day with this FREE New Home Scavenger Hunt Printable & Moving Tips for Kids! This post is sponsored by ABRAMS Books. All opinions are my own.

FREE New Home Scavenger Hunt | Moving Tips for Kids

After 14 years, we packed up our whole world and moved. While it was definitely a good decision for our family, I wouldn’t wish that stress on anyone. My husband and I joke that “this better be our forever home – because we’re NOT moving ever again!”

Add kids to the mix – it’s unlike any other family adventure we’ve been on. Anxiety level 11.

Thinking about making the move with kids? Inspired by the newest book in my son’s favorite series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball, I’m sharing my best moving tips from our experience plus a FUN and FREE new home scavenger hunt to get your kids excited about their family adventure to come!

New Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball Book

The truth is, some days it still feels like moving day. Boxes still unpacked. Things still not hung. House to-do lists a mile long. Renovation project dreams.

One of the most important things we looked for in buying a new home is making sure that we did NOT have to do any heavy remodeling when we moved in. Remember the kitchen remodel in my old home? Dripping ceilings, water filled trenches, no electricity, and 6 months of cooking in a microwave – it wasn’t a pleasant experience. (Thank goodness this was all done pre-kids!)

With our move this summer, I had a lot of flashbacks to that remodel. I compared the moving stress to the kitchen remodel stress – probably one of the most stressful situations of my life. Thinking about those home memories reminds me how much we needed love, light, and laughter during those chaotic periods. For kids, books are a great way to find hope in stressful situations.

While it’s hard to get my son to ever be excited about reading, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney is one of the few series that he truly enjoys. It’s hard to believe that this series is now onto its 14th release. The new book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball is now available.

It didn’t take long for my boy to inhale this read. In fact, it took him only a few hours to flip through this whole book. Between the smiles and the bust-out-loud laughing, it’s a book that really resonates with him after our own move.

In Wrecking Ball, Book 14 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series—from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney—an unexpected inheritance gives Greg Heffley’s family a chance to make big changes to their house. But they soon find that home improvement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Once the walls come down, all sorts of problems start to crop up. Rotten wood, toxic mold, unwelcome critters, and something even more sinister all make Greg and his family wonder if the renovations are worth the trouble. When the dust finally settles, will the Heffleys be able to stay . . . or will they need to get out of town?

While we don’t have any major remodels in the near future for this new house, my son is having a blast planning and designing his new room! He already has plans to build wrap-around shelving to display his LEGO creations around the whole perimeter of his room. Hopefully we won’t have any “Wrecking Ball” stories to tell when we’re done with that project!

8 Tips for Moving with Kids

That’s not to say that moving this summer didn’t have it’s challenges, too. Change is hard, scary…as an adult. I can only imagine how scary it was for my kids this past summer. In case moving to a new home is on the horizon, here are 8 tips for moving with kids:

Get your kids excited. Let them know about the positives with the move and give them something to look forward to, like a family outing or a movie night in the new home.
Prepare for the move. Plan out moving day step-by-step. Let your kids know what to expect for the day. Keep talking to your kids about potential fears.
Plan out new rooms. Give your kids the opportunity to pick out room decor, paint colors and other personalizing aspects to make their new room feel uniquely theirs.
Let your kids be a part of moving day. It’s their moving day too. Allow them to be a part of the process as much as possible, by giving them tasks, jobs, and rewards.
Make a moving day bag. Fill it with your child’s personal lovies, comfort objects, and overnight travel items, so that they have everything they need to reduce fears and anxiety.
Keep them busy! Stock up on books, games, and activities to keep your kids busy during the moving process. New books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball make a great choice for finding laughter during a stressful situation!
Get to know the neighborhood. Take your kids to meet the neighbors. Scope out new playgrounds, eateries, parks, new schools. Let them explore and get acclimated to their new surroundings.
Explore the new home! Build up excitement for the new home with this FREE New Home Scavenger Hunt Printable below!

FREE New Home Scavenger Hunt Printable Game

Want to get your kids excited about moving to their new house? Have a copy of this FREE New Home Scavenger Hunt Printable Game handy. They’ll love searching for and counting up all of the new features of their home.

And you’ll love how your kids will be happily busy and engaged as you unpack and settle into your new place. I recommend high quality computer paper and/or cardstock to print on for best results.

Grab your FREE Printable New Home Scavenger Hunt

Moving with kids can be beyond stressful! But it doesn’t have to be. With these moving tips, this fun new home scavenger hunt and great books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball, you and your kids can embrace the new adventure and many happy family memories to come.