How to help your children adjust to living in a big city

Living in a big city is always full of challenges for everyone. After you have moved with local movers DC from a relatively small place and are unfamiliar with your surroundings. This situation makes it even harder to help your children adjust to living in a big city.

When you are a parent, the whole change of environment is even harder. You need to endure the whole moving process yourself, the stress it creates and the challenges you are facing. When it comes to the moving expenses, you can keep them at a minimum with affordable movers DC.

Children adapt easier than their parents

There is a strong belief that children adapt way easier than their parents after moving. People usually say that children are not affected by the stress that comes with the change of place they are living in. While this may be true for some, it doesn’t always have to be the case since everyone reacts to change differently. Although you may not notice it from the start, it can impact them very negatively. It can have an impact on both their physical and mental health which needs to be taken seriously.

Small kids often express a very big change in their behavior. They tend to become way more clingy and needy or throw tantrums randomly for no reason at all. On the other hand, if the kids are older, they get depressed, irritated, and angry. Parents are usually very nervous and on edge themselves so they can unintentionally take everything out on children and make things even worse.

Before we jump into the talk about adjusting to living in a big city, there are a few things you should consider doing before the move:

• When you let them know you are moving, be prepared for any kind of reaction they might have and let them express those feelings
• Let the kids be part of planning for the move and keep them as informed as possible, it will lessen their anxiety and stress
• Inform them about what they can expect from the city they are moving to, both the good and the bad
• Help them say goodbye to their friends and keep in touch with them
• Make sure you rest well so you have enough energy to handle the move yourself

Tips on how to help your children adjust to living in a big city

The real challenge comes after you move.  Your kids are on completely new and unknown territory, they feel scared and anxious. What exactly can you do to make all of this easier for them and help your children adjust to living in a big city?

Explore the city with your kid – make it fun

One of the most important things you should do for your child is to explore the city with them. If you are moving from DC to NYC you should make a detailed plan on how to make this easier for the kids. That way they can get more familiar with it and feel more at home. Don’t make it a simple tour by only walking and showing them around, if you make it more fun they will learn more and remember things better. For example, you can take them to a museum, a theatre or simply organize a picnic in a park. It all depends on how old your kid is and what activity would be more interesting to them. You can also organize something like a hidden treasure game and make the most important places checkpoints.

Have fun together

Apart from exploring the city, you can also simply go have some fun together as a family. Not only will it make them more relaxed and help them go back to their usual selves, but it will also bring you guys closer. You experience a lot of stress when moving(make sure to hire some of the best moving companies Washington DC for a less stressful move), so you deserve to relax a bit together as a family. Some activities we recommend are taking them to the playground, to their favorite place or joining a dance class together.

Accept all of their emotions

It is completely normal to be scared of the unknown, especially if you are a child. Living in a completely new, big city is ten times scarier and more challenging. What’s more, they can’t control their emotions in the way adults can. That’s why you will often find it hard to console them, calm them down and explain that it is something everyone needs to go through. So, instead of only telling them that they should not behave like that, let them let it all out. Don’t make them feel ashamed of their own emotions. If you suppress their need to express negative emotions, they will start feeling like they always need to be happy. That is a lot of pressure and not right. Teach your children that their negative emotions are valid. It’s normal to feel sad because everything they were used to has changed.

Their schedule should stay the same

Try to make a schedule for your children that is almost the same one as they’ve had. This is very important because it is likely to give them a feeling that nothing has changed. If they do the same things they always did, it will help them adjust a lot easier. It is impossible to make an identical schedule but they probably won’t notice every little change you make. It’s important to support them to continue doing the things they love.

Your children should stay in touch with their friends and family

Another way you can help your children adjust to living in a big city is by helping them keep in touch with their friends and other family members. When the place you’re living in changes, that doesn’t mean you automatically cut off all your connections. The friendships you made and connections with your family are still there. It is very important that your children stay in touch with those close to them. Dealing with the whole moving process, adjusting to everything being new to them is already hard enough. Helping them maintain all relationships with their friends and family members they are close to will make them feel less lonely and like they are now impossible to reach.