Family & Kids

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Essentials

Raising bilingual children

Language brings up many questions for parents who are moving with kids to another country or raising bilingual children in another culture. Expatica covers the ins and outs of raising a baby abroad and whether to send your children to an international or local school. For more information check out our School and Languages topic pages.

Having a baby abroad

For women, having a baby abroad can bring up deep feelings of...

Raising bilingual children

Having a baby abroad

For women, having a baby abroad can bring up deep feelings of insecurity. How different is the approach to childbirth in your new country from that of your homeland? Read about giving birth in Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, a href=http://www.expatica.com/es/family/kids/10-things-to-prepare-before-giving-birth-in-Spain_12980.html>Spain, Switzerland, UK on our Healthcare channel or visit the Expatica Forums and find out what other expat women feel about giving birth away from home. Related services can be found in the family section of Expatica’s A-Z listings.

Kids

Children, who are flexible and open-minded by nature, make great travellers, but parents still need to help prepare their children for moving abroad. Age and character will play a part in how children deal with the move. The more attention paid to the process of moving with kids, the greater the long-term benefits. Several articles on Expatica’s Kids and Relocation channels deal with this process—from tots to teens— and help you to understand the world of the TCK (Third Culture Kid).

The childcare system

Knowing how the childcare system works in your new country of residence is essential. Whether your children are pre-school or school age, you’ll need to know what care is available and how you can foot the bill. Your company may pay for this, or you could be entitled to certain subsidies. Check out Expatica’s essential guides to the childcare system in Belgium, a href=http://www.expatica.com/fr/family/kids/Nurseries-_-Pre_Schools-in-France_13937.html>France, Netherlands, Spain and the UK. Articles such as Bringing the family over, which you can also find on the Getting started topic page, tell you how to bring an au-pair to the Netherlands as well as bringing your family over to join you. The Expatica Forums (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain , Switzerland, UK). are a good place to start for advice and tips from other expat parents or check through the childcare category of Expatica’s Classifieds section (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, UK).

Out and about with the kids

Expatica lists places where kids can play, from zoos through theme parks to indoor playgrounds and recommends the best seasonal places to have some good family fun. Visit our Travel & Tourism page to check out the best places for regional holidays. Other topics covered on the Kids channel include children’s TV, children’s festivals and birthday celebrations in your adopted land. Finally, check out our What’s on section for a listing of local events.

The stories in this episode of World Kids News are devoted to heroes of all ages inspiring kids on three continents.

26/12/2011 Expat Story: Culture clashing with your kids

Which is worse to feed your kids: peanut butter or Nutella? Bi-cultural couples have so much to share and learn from each other — so romantic…Then the kids come and the sharing and learning lead to profound questions like this one.

28/11/2011 Teaching French to kids: Counting crottes

“Knees and toes!” Tadpole pleads. Meaning that I’m supposed to sing ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’, her current favourite song.

28/11/2011 Who's that with Santa?

The origins of St Nicholas/Sinterklaas and his helper in Dutch-speaking Belgium Zwarte Piet and in French-speaking Belgium, Père Fouettard, are the source of some confusion. Natasha Gunn looks into the origins of these seasonal gift-givers.

03/08/2004 Holidays with los hijos

For most, planning a holiday involves thinking of the children. In Spain there are many theme parks designed for the youngsters - and to make life easier for the parents. Here are ten of the best.

Visit our country sites

Raising bilingual children

Raising bilingual children

Having a baby abroad

Raising bilingual children

Having a baby abroad

Kids

The childcare system

Out and about with the kids

Kids - Essential Articles

13/01/2012 World Kids News: Kids and their heroes

26/12/2011 Expat Story: Culture clashing with your kids

28/11/2011 Teaching French to kids: Counting crottes

28/11/2011 Who's that with Santa?

03/08/2004 Holidays with los hijos