Moving to another country with children can be a real challenge. They may experience a plethora of emotions, including sadness for leaving what is familiar, anxiety for the new destination, confusion when hearing a new language, and loss and grief for their previous home and friends.
As parents and carers, we are the first to support them and put in place all the strategies to make their transition as smooth as possible.
Here is a collection of books that can help you talk to your children about their emotions.
Sammy’s Next Move
is a book written by Helen Maffini, who travelled extensively with her family as a teenager. Sammy is a snail who travels the world with his parents. He needs to change schools, misses his friends, and is sometimes sad. But because Sammy is a snail, he carries his home with him anywhere he moves because, in the end, home is where your heart is. We suggest you have a look at the author’s website here for more information about how to support your children in developing their emotional intelligence.
The mission of detective Mike: Moving abroad
is written by Simone T. Costa Eriksson and Anna Serra, both parents, Simone a psychologist, who experienced the challenges of relocating the family to another country and the worries surrounding the children and their feelings. The story takes into account the fears and struggles of children who need to move abroad. The aim is to give parents and carers some tools to support their little ones during the transition and to discuss possible issues openly and with an age-appropriate approach.
Berenstain Bears Moving Day
is an old classic from the 80s. Stan and Jan Berenstain introduce Mama, Papa, and Brother Bear as they move from their mountains to somewhere “down a sunny dirty road”. Brother worries about going to a new neighbourhood and making new friends. But not everything is as hard as it seems.
The Invisible String
by Patrice Karst is not explicitly related to the topic of moving abroad. However, it is the perfect tool to help children cope with feelings of grief, anxiety and loss. A mother tells her children that we are all connected by an invisible string. The children are not sure this is true, but they soon understand the meaning of the unbreakable links between the people we love and the power of these connections through time and space.
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls- Book 1- Moving Day
is the first book for younger readers in the Allie Finkle series, written by Meg Cabot. Allie Finkle is a nine year old girl who has moved to a new town and is trying to adjust to a new school and make new friends. How can she possibly fit in? Through some bitter and hilarious situations, Allie will soon learn that she is a very resilient girl and she is not alone.
You can find some suggestions of books in Italian here.
If you want to learn more about moving children abroad, you can find some interesting articles in Expatclic under Articles—Family and Life Abroad—Children.
In one of those articles, Sophia Patsikas shared her personal experiences and tips on moving abroad with children. You can read her article here.
I also would like to recommend the reading of Arriving in a new country with children, an article written some time ago by the Expatclic team and still very current. It outlines tips and tricks to help you survive the first hectic moments and help your children familiarise with the new environment.
Alessandra Giacchi
Photo by cottonbro studio from Pexels