To ensure that your kids aren’t too affected by your move, well before the removalists show up, there are a few things you should do. Here are the things that will make an overseas move as easy as possible for your children:
Keep them in the Loop
The most important aspect of helping your kids to accept an overseas move is keeping them in the loop. You should aim to tell them about the move as soon as you know it’s on the cards and you should try, as best you can, to keep them up to date with any developments, especially if they are older children or teens. That way, they have time to get used to the idea, and they won’t end up resenting you for springing a life-changing event on them at the last moment.
Get them Involved
Encouraging your children to get involved in various aspects of the move, from viewing houses to researching what is available to do in the new neighborhood, or even just by allowing them to choose the decor of their new bedroom, will help to smooth the way and hopefully get them excited about the change.
Choose the Right Time to Move
Another thing that can really help to ensure a smooth family move is choosing the optimum time to go. For example, if you’re relocating to Spain, you should try to between May and November, when the weather tends to be more stable, because, if the climate is good and there are lots of things to do, the kids are likely to get stuck into enjoying themselves, cutting down on the amount of tears shed.
Find Out About School Times
Before you arrange your move, you should absolutely research all things school related, most importantly school term times, but also things like the enrollment procedure. If you can, it’s much better to move in sync with the start of a new school term, so that your children won’t miss out on the beginning of their new education, and need to play catch-up. If they’re behind at school, it will probably make it harder for them to settle and they could rail against the move.
Throw a Leaving Party
Sometimes, throwing a leaving party where you invite along all of your children;s friends and family members, and allow them to say a proper goodbye can be a big help, especially if you encourage them to make plans to stay in touch via Skype, Facetime, social media, etc. This way, they know that although they will be moving away, they won’t be losing the people they love by any stretch of the imagination.
Moving your family overseas can be tough, especially for the kids, but if you’re doing it to give them a better life it is probably the right decision, and if you implement the suggestions above, they won’t spend too much time being upset by it.
