How to Help Your Child Adjust to Life After Moving to Another Country

Moving to another country as a family is always a big stress. It is important to support each other during this process. This guide will help you prepare and adapt your child to the move.

Before Departure:

1. Discuss all the details with your child

Let your child know about the move in advance so it’s not a surprise. Explain why this decision was made and the benefits of moving to another country. Ask if they are ready for this.

If your child is sensitive, overly perceptive, and emotional, approach the topic of the move with care. Start from afar and gradually introduce the idea, answering all their questions calmly and with a smile.

2. Encourage interest in the move

Make the move exciting and fun for your child, like a big adventure.

Of course, from your adult perspective, moving is a complex task with many challenges, such as gathering documents and dealing with various institutions, especially in some regions…

Sometimes you may feel nervous and forget that you’re also bringing along a little person who is also going through this experience.

Try to involve them in the process—let them pack their own belongings if they are old enough, and choose their favorite toy to bring on the journey.

If they are afraid of flying, play games like “flying in a plane.” Imagine together what you will do after the move, what the weather will be like, and how the child will go to school or kindergarten. This can be therapeutic for both of you and help relieve stress.

3. Learn the language of the country and watch videos about your new country

The first important step is to learn the language of the country you’re moving to, so that the language barrier doesn’t become an obstacle in the beginning.

Watch interesting videos about the place you are moving to. Depending on your child’s age, they might enjoy watching videos about schools, kindergartens, playgrounds, entertainment centers, the sea, beaches, and other attractions.

Adapting After the Move

1. Give your child enough attention and maintain your traditions

If you are not moving into a “fully set-up” place, you will likely have to deal with some stress at first and spend a lot of time organizing a familiar life in the new country.

In your pursuit of comfort, don’t forget about your evening and morning routines. Talk to your child, try to spend more time together in the beginning. Communicate, laugh, maintain your family traditions, or create new ones to celebrate the move and the start of a new life.

2. Encourage your child to make new friends

Encourage your child to interact with local children. But first, lead by example—be open, introduce yourself to neighbors, show a willingness to make friends, and demonstrate how it’s done. You might even meet a family with kids, giving both your child and you companions to spend weekends with.

Another great option for meeting new people is to take walks in parks, on playgrounds, or in shopping and entertainment centers. There, your child can learn how to interact with other children.

You won’t believe it, but children, even when speaking different languages, find common ground much faster than adults.

3. Try to maintain a familiar routine

You can buy familiar products for your child and yourself, and set up the day in a way that your child is used to. This will reduce stress and help them adapt more quickly.

Be especially careful with food—introducing something new into their diet could cause allergies or stomach issues.

4. Connect new experiences with positive memories

How can you do this?

For example, buy your child a toy they’ve wanted for a long time or spend quality time together.

Be mindful of your finances. You can have a good time even at home—bake some fragrant cookies, make lemonade, and watch a favorite cartoon, play board games, hide-and-seek, or charades.

5. Maintain contact with relatives

If your child is old enough to be aware, it’s important not to completely cut off their past life, friends, and relatives.

A child feels comfortable where their mom and dad, their family are. But memories still stay with all of us, and if your child misses their previous life and frequently brings it up, arrange video calls. Regularly communicate with friends and relatives through video chats if your child expresses the desire.

It’s not necessary to break all ties with your home country, even if you never plan to return.

6. Enroll your child in a kindergarten or school

Your child needs to continue their education, and it’s okay if they don’t fully know the language yet. It may be difficult at first, but the sooner your child joins and adapts to a new environment, the better it will be for them.

In schools in the West, bullying is prohibited, so it’s very unlikely that anyone will pick on your child for not knowing the language. On the contrary, children will likely try to understand and help your child.

School or kindergarten is a great way to make friends, get to know the new country, and quickly learn how life works there.