International Assignments and Relocating Elementary School-age Children

When you and your family are going on an international assignment, your children will undergo expat adjustment during the relocation. While adults who are going on an international assignment will often participate in cross-cultural training, children are often neglected during this process.
Once children enter elementary school, they suffer most from the loss of their friends and the predictability of their routine. Children this age are usually unable to anticipate life in the abstract and will have trouble visualizing their new life.



Experts agree that you should give these kids the opportunity to say goodbye to their pals and family members. They also emphasize the child should have some control over the move. In Karen Curnow McCluskey's Notes from a Traveling Childhood, Anne-Marie Atkinson, LCSW, writes: "It is disconcerting to have your familiar world vanish every few years. The more control your children feel they have over that disconcerting experience, the more secure they will be in general."

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She goes on to say that children should be able to keep in contact with old friends; you should acknowledge their feelings; and you should allow them 'to grieve and express anger appropriately.' So be sure to discuss the move ahead of time. Be positive and excited, but watch for signs that your child may not be adjusting. Remember that if there isn't harmony between parents about this move, your children may pick up on the conflict and react with behavior problems or depression.



For these children, being pulled away from their friends, even at a young age, is extremely difficult. As they enter a new school, they not only have to adjust to a new curriculum and schedule, but to other kids. At this age, children are continuing to form their self-images and develop a sense of self-esteem. They need friendships and success to grow emotionally.



The biggest challenge parents will have with this age group is schooling. Again, during the