While moving abroad can be an extremely exciting experience for adults, the situation can be understandably overwhelming for young minds as their entire world will change. This is why preparing your little one is absolutely crucial to prevent a stressful situation and pent up emotions later on. If handled correctly, your child will be as excited and open-minded about the move as you and your partner. Before deciding to take on the expat life, the following will help you encourage your child to embrace the decision.
Visit Your New Home
Before you start scrambling for moving and organizational tips to make the move as smooth as possible, you should consider visiting your new home with your child before the move is set in stone. This effort will allow your little one to feel as though they are included in the decision making. You will be able to explore the new surroundings with your child and introduce them to the school choices and scenery. When children feel left-out of big life decisions, they may feel isolated from their own freedom and even though the decision may not entirely be theirs to make, it would be recommended allow them to voice their opinions even if they are still quite young.
Discuss The Benefits
Even though you and your partner may be well aware of the benefits of the move, your child will have no way of understanding the decision unless you take the time to sit down and explain the benefits in a manner they will grasp. If you are moving to enjoy a better quality of life, you should explain ways in which your families current quality of life is not what it could be. On the other hand, if you are moving for a career opportunity, this should be explained in an accurate manner. You should make the effort of explaining the many benefits that have assisted you with your decision making, whether it is better schooling, better job market, or simply a generally improved quality of life.
Settling In
Once your little one is on board with the idea of a new and better life and your family has successfully arrived in your new home, it is important to understand that the stress of the move may also affect your child in the near future. Therefore, to best avoid any upsets, you should establish a routine as soon as possible and allow your child to explore their surroundings. Creating a routine should be done within the first few days of arriving, even if schooling and work will only commence after some time. Your routine should be as similar to the routine in your previous home as this will ensure your child is able to feel comfortable in the new space. As children may feel as though they are leaving so much behind, it would be a great idea to reassure them constantly and encourage them to make new friends and memories. However, you should still allow and encourage contact with their friends back home.
