In the last month we have travelled twice. Both times my preteen insisted on packing for herself. As I pointed her in the direction of a duffle bag, I silently congratulated myself on my good fortune. One less bag to pack. Woohoo! It wasn’t until I checked her bag that I realized that she was missing a few key items: toothbrush, shorts, shoes…
I’m not surprised my daughter has a hard time packing. We’re a family of packrats. On a recent overnight trip, our family of 5 entered the hotel room with 17 assorted bags. We do have a tendency to return to the house at least once for a missing item or buy it when we get there. Insane!
For one of the trips my preteen packed a duffle bag, a purse, and a back pack of stuffed animals. Her packing would have been easier if she had had one large bag and one back pack to hold her clothes and personal items.
Preteens Need a Large Duffle Bag and a Backpack
In our house we have the “one bag” rule for packing. All clothing items go in a duffle bag. All toys, books, and handheld games go in a backpack. Have I mentioned that we are a family of packrats? So, my children will usually appear with a duffle bag filled with clothes, a back pack, and two or three tiny bags. Hence, the fact that we arrived at our hotel with 17 pieces of luggage!
I found this Carryall Duffle and this Backpack
Teaching a Preteen How to Pack a Duffle Bag and Backpack
…In 10 Steps:
- Count the number of days you will be on vacation — pack for this number of days plus add one complete set of every item. Set out one complete set of clothes for the travel day.
- Check weather report for your destination to find out what type of clothes you will need to bring.
- Make stacks of shorts/pants and t-shirts/long-sleeved shirts, depending on weather conditions.
- Make stacks of underwear, socks, etc.
- Pack pajamas, swim suit, sweatshirt, and jacket. Pack a towel and washcloth, if needed.
- Assemble toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, soap in a plastic box, makeup remover, etc.
- Find a cloth bag with a zipper to hold toiletries or use a gallon size ziploc bag.
- Shoes: sneakers, flip flops, boots, snow boots, dress shoes — set out one pair for the travel day and place the rest of the shoes in a plastic bag in the duffle bag.
- Favorite items: Don’t think that just because you have a preteen that he/she will not need a special blanket or stuffed animal! I will never forget my preteen’s look of surprise when she saw which of her stuffed animals I packed for a surprise trip to Disney!
- Carry-on Backpack: Pack books, notebook and pens, ipod, Nintendo DS and games, and puzzle books.
What Does the Preteen Do with the Duffle Bag and Backpack Once Packed?
Ideally your preteen will pack his suitcase and duffle bag the night before your trip. In our house, all duffle bags and backpacks are placed by the back door. Once at the back door I check the preteen’s bag to make sure everything is packed. I pile each person’s suitcases and duffle bags in a designated spot by the back door. On the day we leave on our trip, I carry all the suitcases and duffle bags to the minivan.
You may have noticed that I have not made any reference to the preteen attitude until now. Take it for granted that your preteen will not be happy packing a duffle bag, repacking a duffle bag, carrying a suitcase downstairs, or helping in any way whatsoever. Let your preteen know that is is his/her responsibilty to help pack for a trip.
When not raising a kid, a preteen, and a teen, Jill blogs at www.musingsfromme.com about raising a kid, a preteen, and a teen.
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musingsfromme
Jill is a writer who stays at home or a SAHM who writes...it depends on her mood. She blogs about seizing family time one dinner - movie - game night at a time at http://www.musingsfromme.com. When not blogging, she writes about preteens on TypeAParent, and for several other websites. She is the community manager for two local mommy sites and one national site for moms.
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