There are times wherein you need to make a decision and your entire family has to support and follow you. Like for example moving to a new country to work. If you are starting a family of your own, you’d rather bring them along with you and start a new life in that country where there’s a good opportunity than leave them behind. With this kind of set-up everyone must adjust including children who need to transfer to a new school. It is not easy for children to quickly adapt to change so as parents, you should help them every step of the way. In this article, we will share some tips to help your kids adapt to new school and environment.
- Include them in the process of choosing school – the kids will feel more at ease if they are included in the process. They will appreciate you asking for their preference or even their opinion. It would be more difficult if you just fly to a new country and then ask them to attend this school from now on. It might be a shock for them so make sure to include them in the process so they get idea.
- Choose an international school that promotes the values you wish for your kids – you should look for school with International curricula that promotes not only competitive academics but also allows children to hone their social skills and confidence. You should check the programme and then decide which you like best for your kids.
- Bring them with you when visiting a prospect school – once you’ve shortlisted schools, you should visit to personally see the facilities, the location, meet the teachers and school administrators. During these visits, it would be great to bring your kids so they have idea how the school looks like and so they can meet the teachers in advance.
- Meet school teachers and parents of other students – as parents, you should provide strong support for your kids. And to make sure that you are always updated about the activities and behaviour of your kids in school, you should find time to meet the teachers as well as parents of other students. You should exchange phone numbers or maybe social media so you are all connected and reachable when needed.
- Invite their classmates for playdate after school or during weekend – it would be a great idea to invite their classmates for snacks after school or maybe playdate during weekend. This will help your kids to have more friends which makes everything a little easier for them.
- Encourage your kids to share about their day in school – lastly, you should always ask your kids about their day at school. You should encourage them to tell you stories. This way, they know that you are concerned and interested to know how they feel.
It can be difficult for children to adjust to new school much more in a foreign country. So be sure to help them and always let them know that you support them. Lastly, do not pressure them to get high grades instead just help them reach their best potential and cheer them on.
