Moving to Sweden with family

So you are moving to Sweden with your family? A moving house event is stressful, so add to that the fact your children are moving abroad and you have a very stressful event for children to handle.  However, there is also no doubt that moving abroad can be beneficial too.  Moving your family to Sweden can provide a broader perspective about the world, whilst giving new experiences, and seeing a different culture, language, and way of living. 

This is learning outside the classroom as its very best! Families moving abroad needn’t be a recipe for disaster, but a wonderful experience.  I have a few tips that may help any children moving abroad.

Before You Move Your Family To Sweden

1. Learn about the country together.  Make time to read books together, maybe make a scrapbook, and have a little look at the language with you child before you move.
2. See if you can find any stories about other families moving to Sweden
3. Discuss their feeling and emotions.  Allow all emotions need to be vented.  Keep the communication channels open, so if something does crop up at a later date, they know they can come and chat it over with you.
4. Before your move, make sure they say a proper goodbye to their friends.  Take photos or swap little presents.  We had a little forest school party too as a way of getting everyone together one last time before we left.

Arriving in Sweden with family

On arrival, life could easily run away with itself if you let it.  There is paperwork to be sorted, maybe a car, a house etc.  For the children moving abroad, they could easily get left to fend for themselves for a few days (understandably) while the grown ups deal with what is being thrown at them.  So, here are a few tips to help you during that immediate arrival period.

1. With the arrival of the hugest lorry load ever of worldly possessions, that have taken 6 days to arrive, it is very easy to get caught up in the task of unpacking it all.  The grown ups, as well as the children, need a break from this.  Make sure there is designated time in the day set aside for connecting time with the children.  Whether this is a walk or a play outdoors (maybe exploring the new neighbourhood), or collapsing with a drink and a story together, it needs to be done.  The children need to feel they are remembered and not a hindrance in this extremely stressful time.
2. Try and maintain some of your usual routines.  This will help make the children moving abroad feel a little more secure and less anxious.
3. Talk, talk, talk.  Allow them input in the unpacking (especially their own areas).  I know it can be frustrating as we could do it in half the time, but they need to feel useful, and that they have had input into the move too.  Let them bring up what they are feeling when they need to.  They have a lot of emotions to work through, maybe mirroring a grieving process.
4. Get out exploring!!  Make it exciting for the children.  Go and find new play parks together.  Go on walks or bike rides to discover what is in the area.

Settling Down Into Life In Sweden

It’s an ongoing process for a long time, helping settle children moving abroad into their new country, in our case Sweden. Issues will crop up from time to time, and when you are least expecting them, and about something you would have never even thought would have been an issue.  However, it is important to value them all.  I have a few little tips that have helped us along our journey so far.

1. Get the children started in a Swedish school asap.  This will help with language and making friends, and ultimately settling them quicker.
2. Find clubs/activities they enjoyed where you lived before in your new place, so they do not feel they have had to give up their lives/interests fully to move abroad.  This again helps with language and making friends as well.
3. Allow for face time to their friends and family back home.  This one takes a lot of parental commitment, especially with younger children, as firstly they need your device, secondly they need you to ensure it is set up and happens, and thirdly you need to find the time to do it with them.  But it is so worth it.  Our little lady has played games and performed magic tricks with her friends as if they were in the same room as her.  It has been a great thing to have.
4. Play dates…set up play dates with their new friends and encourage them to invite people back.  This can be daunting at first as your language skills need improving. But get the google translate app and muddle through together…it is worth it I promise.
5. Have lots of photos from your previous life printed and accessible to your children.  Then they can sit and peruse their memories, and again get talking about them.
6. Continue to get out and explore your new area.  Go on adventures together and make it exciting for them.

Written by Sonia Cave

I’m Sonia, Mamma to three (our little lady, 9, and our twin mini men, 5). With Dadda, we’re on our dream adventure having moved from the UK to Sweden in October 2016. We’re happiest in the outdoors. We like playing in nature, climbing trees, and cooking in the great outdoors. We moved to Sweden to bring our children up the Scandinavian way, and to enjoy all things Swedish, especially their ethos of living.