Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Digital Nomadism
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Spain
      • Portugal
      • Italy
      • France
      • UK
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Panama
      • Costa Rica
      • Nicaragua
      • Honduras
      • Belize
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
    • Others
      • North America
      • South America
      • Australia
      • Africa
      • Asia
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Digital Nomadism
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Spain
      • Portugal
      • Italy
      • France
      • UK
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Panama
      • Costa Rica
      • Nicaragua
      • Honduras
      • Belize
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
    • Others
      • North America
      • South America
      • Australia
      • Africa
      • Asia
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
👤

LIFE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES

THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE FOR EXPATS, DIGITAL NOMADS, AND DREAMERS.

  • Your Escape Plan

Bringing Family Abroad – Helping Kids and Spouses Adjust

  • August 7, 2023
  • BY Mike James
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

Deciding to relocate your family to another country for work is a major life decision that affects more than just you—it deeply impacts your spouse and children as well. While an international move may be an exciting adventure, it can also be an enormous challenge for all members of a family.

Leaving behind friends, favorite activities, and familiar comforts can be difficult, especially for kids and non-working spouses. It’s crucial to take steps to help your whole family settle into your new home abroad as smoothly as possible. The transition period in those first few months is critical for laying the foundation for happiness and success in your new expat life.

With patience, communication, and intentional effort to build community, you can help the whole family adjust to this time of change. In this article, we’ll provide tips to make the move abroad an easier one for all.

Support Your Spouse

Relocating abroad can be incredibly isolating and challenging for spouses who give up jobs and community ties. Without their normal support systems, they are at high risk for depression and loneliness so it’s important to try and ease this transition by connecting them to expat resources and groups prior to the move.

Search together for clubs related to their hobbies, like book groups or leisure activities, that will help them meet new friends with shared interests. Make sure to involve them in planning fun cultural excursions and experiences in your new home. Embracing your roles as foreigners together can bring a sense of adventure.

Encourage your spouse to view this as an opportunity to reinvent themselves, take risks, and discover new passions. Attend language classes as a couple so you both gain confidence navigating your new world. Commit to regular date nights without kids to focus on your relationship amidst the chaos of change.

Work Hard to Find Your Community

With effort to build community and purpose, a major move can be an exciting fresh start for your spouse, too. Be patient and understanding if your spouse struggles with the transition more than you expected. Check in regularly and provide practical support like helping enroll kids in activities. Celebrate even small wins like finding a grocery store they like or making a new acquaintance.

Recognize that adapting takes time, so provide reassurance they will eventually feel at home. Consider installing a golf simulator in your garden cabin or basement space. This can provide a comforting escape where you and your spouse can unwind and enjoy a familiar activity without being surrounded by constant reminders you are in a foreign environment.

Help Kids Adjust to a New School

The prospect of starting over at a new school in a foreign country can be daunting for kids. They may struggle with leaving behind friends, overcoming language barriers if moving to a non-English speaking country, and adjusting to a different curriculum or educational style. As a parent, you can take steps to smooth the transition to help your kids acclimate more quickly.

Have open conversations with them ahead of time about the positives of experiencing a new culture and adventure. Learn about the new school together and get excited about things like sports teams, clubs, or special classes they can participate in. Sign them up for sports like soccer, or activities like dance or art classes so they can bond over shared interests.

The Move Will Take Some Time

Be patient as they adjust to different teaching styles and coursework while also providing extra academic support if needed. Recognize that it will take time to rebuild their social circles and feel comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings. Offer plenty of encouragement and remain flexible if they struggle with any aspects of assimilating.

With your support, they will gradually gain their bearings, make new friends, and adapt to the new normal of school life abroad. Consider arranging playdates or outings with colleagues’ children as another way to help your child meet peers. Stay upbeat and focus on the positives when your child inevitably has bad days missing their old life.

Make it an Adventure

Rather than viewing the relocation as uprooting your lives, work to reframe it as an adventure for the whole family. Get everyone excited by planning cultural activities like food tours, festivals, and day trips to nearby attractions.

Lean into your roles as newcomers and foreigners ready to learn. Display curiosity about your new home and model openness to your kids while learning to embrace being fish out of water together through lighthearted cultural mishaps. 

Celebrate small wins like ordering food in your new language or making a friend. Focus on creating great memories out of this special time that will remain with your family forever. Years from now, tell stories of your exploits as intrepid explorers discovering the world.

Maintain Family Traditions Abroad

Preserving treasured family traditions while living abroad can provide much-needed comfort and familiarity amid change. Even small rituals can help ease the transition to unfamiliar surroundings. Consider adapting holiday celebrations in creative ways, like making traditional menus with local ingredients or decorating your new home as you always have.

Host virtual gatherings with extended family back home to honor important occasions together across the distance. Continue treasured routines like regular family game or movie nights to maintain a sense of normalcy. Mark major milestones such as birthdays or anniversaries with new adventures like dining at exotic restaurants or exploring historic sites nearby.

Don’t Forget to Embrace Change

The expat life also offers exciting opportunities to develop meaningful new rituals as a family. Blend old with new by adapting family favorite recipes with new local ingredients and flavors, such as adapting favorite cookie recipes from home to enjoy on scenic picnics in your new locale.

Establishing fresh traditions unique to this special chapter will help you celebrate your time abroad. Even small efforts to honor the familiar within new experiences can provide comfort during transitions.

Stick With It – It Will Be Worth It in the End

Relocating internationally can be an enormous transition for families. By being patient, emphasizing communication, establishing community connections, and reframing the move as a shared adventure, you can help your spouse and children adjust to their new surroundings. With intention and support from you, this time of change can ultimately strengthen your family relationships and create treasured memories.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Previous Article
  • Digital Nomadism

ECI Development: A Wealth of Experience in Latin America

  • August 6, 2023
  • BY Lisa Richards
View Post
Next Article
  • Belize

Escape Artist Insiders: Inside our August 2023 “Deep-Dive on Belize” Issue

  • August 8, 2023
  • BY Lisa Richards
View Post
You May Also Like
Residency programs worldwide are undergoing rapid transformation.
View Post
  • Second Citizenship
Beyond the Golden Visa – The Future of Residency
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • May 7, 2025
Not all retirements are created equal—especially when taxes are involved.
View Post
  • Plan B
How to Retire Tax-Free Abroad
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • April 23, 2025
Choosing the right country can shape your investment strategy.
View Post
  • Plan B
How to Secure a Second Home Overseas
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • April 18, 2025
The good life in Belize.
View Post
  • Belize
The Plan B Strategy—Securing Lifestyle and Liberty in Belize
  • BY Michael K. Cobb
  • April 5, 2025
Investors diversify globally to protect their future.
View Post
  • Plan B
Why Every Investor Needs a Plan B Abroad
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • April 3, 2025
Tallinn, Estonia is Europe’s digital gateway for borderless business.
View Post
  • Plan B
The Best Countries for Financial Freedom
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • April 1, 2025
Saint Kitts and Nevis offers citizenship through investment. Photo courtesy of iStock/pics721
View Post
  • Finance
How to Build Wealth While Living Overseas
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • March 25, 2025
Family Foundation
View Post
  • Finance
15 Proven Global Strategies to Protect Your Wealth
  • BY Joel Nagel
  • March 25, 2025
Trending Posts
  • Lush landscapes define the island’s everyday beauty. 1
    • Bali
    Top 10 Things to Know if You’re Moving to Bali
    • May 19, 2025
  • In Loma Linda, wellness begins with belief—and becomes habit. 2
    • Blue Zone
    Loma Linda, The Blueprint of a Long Life
    • May 12, 2025
  • South Ossetia stands quietly between two worlds. 3
    • Field Notes
    The Curious Case of South Ossetia
    • May 9, 2025
  • Stillness, space, and the quiet rhythms of Finland. 4
    • Wellness
    The Finnish Formula
    • May 16, 2025
  • Cannes opens with a politically charged lineup and global spotlight. 5
    • News
    Glamour, Gold, and Gathering Storms
    • May 14, 2025
Know Before You Go
  • Residency programs worldwide are undergoing rapid transformation. 1
    • Second Citizenship
    Beyond the Golden Visa – The Future of Residency
    • May 7, 2025
  • A typical crosswalk in Tokyo. 2
    • Blue Zone
    Top 10 Things to Know if You’re Moving to Japan
    • April 18, 2025
  • Photo courtesy of iStock/Kosamtu. 3
    • Digital Nomadism
    The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Digital Nomad
    • April 16, 2025
  • Every day life unfolds on Australia’s golden sands. 4
    • Australia
    Top 10 Things to Know if You’re Moving to Australia
    • April 7, 2025
  • Slow sunsets match Hawaii’s relaxed island pace. Photo Courtesy of Shutterstock/oulashin 5
    • North America
    Top 10 Things to Know if You’re Moving to Hawaii
    • March 28, 2025
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
Why Subscribe

The newly imagined Escape Artist brings you fresh content with a global focus, and sharp, up-to-the-minute coverage of the joys, challenges, and opportunities of life abroad.

For a limited time, we’re offering a special discount on all subscription deals, so be sure to lock-in these incredible savings and start receiving top-notch travel and expat content today!

Sign up for the EA Newsletter

Get important news delivered directly to your inbox and stay connected!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Escape Artist
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimer

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Newsletter Subscription
Our Spring Sale Has Started

You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/