Assist Children With Cultural Adjustment

When moving overseas for a permanent or long-term country change, it can be difficult for children to adjust to cultural changes but ensuring that the move is a happy one is highly dependent on making a cultural adjustment successfully.

Steps

 * 1)  Always speak positively about the change. Children will quickly pick up from you  that you find change exhilarating or terrifying. Make it easier on them by being positive about it. There is nothing wrong with making comparisons but do this in an educational way, not a "I wish things were like home" way. This will help the children to see the change as an adventure and something to be excited about.
 * 2) [[Image:L'insostenibile leggerezza dell'essere 9867.jpg|200px|right]] Be patient. Your new environment is not going to be your old environment and even restoring the family dynamics will take some time. Even if you get a new home and move in, it doesn't automatically bring back the lifestyle that you enjoyed in your previous country. If you can accept this, you will not be battling the feelings of nostalgia - embrace the nostalgia (for it will wash over you) but also be open to wonderful newness of all that is around you and look for all the positive elements of the new country and living arrangements. Encourage the children to look for all the good aspects as well and share your ideas together.
 * 3)  Pack a "ready-to-be-home" box. This should be the last box on the removal truck and the first one out. Have each child place a favourite toy, book, bed item and wall decoration in this box. Add any other elements that you feel say "our home"on what matters to the citizens of that country and it helps you to start understanding the character of the country better. Children love festivities and celebrations, so this will help them to enjoy their new life more too.
 * Ask your children to invite their new friends to your new home. Treat new friends of your children as guests, as and when they visit your new home.
 * If you can, learn about the new culture before you leave your old country. This will help the children know special issues in advance and it becomes a source of interest to discover the things that they have learned from books and the internet in real life when they arrive.
 * Let your children invite their friends over for edible playdough parties! You can make a bunch of different yummy varieties with recipes on the Internet: search for pantry spa's birthday cake playdough, peanut butter honey playdough and chocolate truffle playdough.

Warnings

 * Be careful that your children don't rely on you too much. If they feel like you'll always be able to help them, they might not work so hard to learn, because it's easier to just get you to do all the work.

Related

 * How to Learn About Other Cultures
 * How to Write a Letter
 * How to Travel With Children on Long Trips
 * How to Enjoy a Festival
 * How to Relate to Children