Supporting children through relocation, Assistant Dean of Overseas Admissions at ACS International Schools, Anastasia Cotton, shares her favourite storybook titles on transition and change.
Travelling half-way around the world for international relocation is a huge change for even the most well-adjusted adult to manage – so how can we support children experiencing the move, whilst juggling the tricky business of growing up?
As with so many transitional stages of childhood and adolescence, support and discussion initiated with a story – or picture book for younger children – can be a gentle way to approach any worries.
“It’s easier for children to process things they hear ‘third-hand’ during reading-time cuddles,” explained clinical psychologist Wayne Fleisig to The Washington Post.
“Books can be a good and non-threatening platform in which to discuss difficult subjects. There are pictures to distract them if things get overwhelming and they do not have to approach the subject head on, but instead can take in a small amount at a time.”
For children who might be experiencing a range of feelings – loss, sadness, uncertainty, anxiety, anger, and even excitement – it can be helpful to select a number of titles to choose from in both the run up to moving day, and in the first months of re-settlement.
Parents might find that children identify with a particular character or series of books, and revisiting these stories can provide an additional comfort in unfamiliar surroundings, as well as acting as useful tools for conversation. For little ones who are unsure how to articulate their emotional reactions, it can help give them the words and phrases they need to ask for support in a meaningful way.
“How do you think Alexander was feeling as his parents packed up his house in this story? Can you think of anything that would have made Sammy the Snail feel better? Let’s do the same as this story and unpack our toys first, and then cook our favourite meal! We’re changing country, language and culture, but this is what we’re not going to change.”
Supporting activities such as scrapbooking, story-writing, journaling and writing to pen-pals can also be both calming and encouraging for a lot of children. In one of my recommended titles, B at Home, the main character is given a booklet to document her adventure, and it becomes an important keepsake of a life-changing move.
Very often, one of the most daunting elements of moving countries is the prospect of facing a new school and all the associated challenges, from adapting to new teaching styles to making friends during recess or in class.
“Relocated adolescents often face a double stress of adapting to an alien environment, a new school, and building new friendships and social networks, while simultaneously coping with the fundamental biological and developmental transitions that their peers also experience,” says British researcher, Roger Webb, for the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.
Here at ACS, our school environment is built around helping students manage these transitional stages, easing children and teens gently – and quickly – into life in the UK.
Our new families have a readymade community on hand to share their experiences, knowledge and to help them settle into their new homes. Each school has a fully trained pastoral care team and counsellors alongside programmes including the Welcome Team; a group of parents and staff on hand to help families adjust.
The extended community here welcomes new families and fosters long-lasting and supportive friendships not only within school, but via weekend BBQs and breakfasts, matching relocated families for email exchange, international fairs, student-buddy programmes, our popular annual High Tea and, of course, regular book clubs.
Alongside all these wonderful methods of support offered by schools, friends and family, it is our experience that starting with a story is a great first step in helping children adjust during times of transition. Stories have the power to help readers handle not only their own feelings but other people’s too, which goes full circle in our ACS family as children experienced in relocation help their new peers navigate the change happily and successfully.
Relocating across the country or around the world can be an exciting time for any family, but the ongoing success of that transition frequently depends on the support and welcome from the new community. At the International School of London our reputation is founded on the motivation of our students, the skills of our faculty and the support of our parent community. We have forty years of successful implementation of the International Baccalaureate, we inspire our students to develop their intellect, creativity and character by recognising that each and every one of them is unique. Here are some tips to help ease the transition:
- Think through the entire process
A good transition will require time and preparation, and your children will need to be involved through a good part of it. You can decide when to tell them, but don't keep it a secret from them. Kids may not understand what is happening, but they will sense that something is happening.
- Let your children be a part of the transition
Involve them in decisions, so they can begin with their mental transition. If possible, take them to visit their new home and school, so they can see what is waiting for them.
- Make sure the transition does not interrupt their favourite activities
Children need to know that their interests can relocate with them. Identify potential places where they can continue their favourite activity, be it ballet, swimming, or football.
- Research potential schools
For children, schools are much more than places to learn. They are the portals into their new life. Their new school will become the centre of their social world and help shape their identity. Your children's school can be instrumental in a successful transition, and identifying one which understands the importance of soft landings can make all the difference.
- Transition assistance
Transition and relocation programmes are essential, and some schools have mastered them, creating a space where parents and children quickly feel integrated within their new community.
- Start school on the same day as everyone else
If possible, let your children start school on the same day as everyone else. That's usually when new students enter the school, so your children will feel part of the normal rhythm of the school. If that's not possible, enquire about how the school will help your child adjust with the transition.
- Listen to your child
Some children are eager to meet new friends and begin exploring their new environment, whilst others need more time to feel comfortable. Listen to your children’s needs and concerns and let them set the pace.
Join us for a tour of the school or at the IB Diploma College Open Evening on Thursday 23rd November (6pm – 8pm)
Blue Badge Guide and native Londoner Erica Moss has been leading bespoke tours for a mainly American clientele for nearly four years. Following a first career in journalism, Erica decided to undergo the rigorous training required to gain the London Blue Badge, considered the Gold Standard of tour guiding.
Since qualifying, Erica has created a repertoire of over 40 different tours. Each tour she gives is then refined for a particular client’s wishes and desires, with the aim of making it fun and interesting in a way they will always remember. One day she might be guiding three generations of the same family through medieval London, the Jewish East End or British rock and pop history, the next she could be leading a honeymooning couple on a chauffeur-driven foray to Windsor Castle, Oxford or Stonehenge.
As Erica tells us, “I think of myself as the London Genie: the client rubs the lamp and I am the genie that comes out of the bottle. I especially love it when clients share their own knowledge and experience or come up with new and interesting questions during a tour.” She considers it a genuine pleasure to spend time with Americans and share with them because “their openness and directness makes me more direct and open myself”.
What might clients expect on one of her tours? “Lots of walking, fun, views and sights that are not obvious-- off the beaten track stuff. I like to aim for the ‘Oh Wow’ factor. Why does she do it? “I really love sharing. London is a world city and my city; it’s brilliant and I like showing it off. It’s always personal. While a client is with me I’m their new best friend and I’m going to look after them”.
Current fees for a Blue Badge Guide start at around £158 per half day and £255 per full day.
Nestled in the high street of the charming village of Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, can be found a museum unlike many others. This museum has children at its heart, and seeks to inspire visitors to tell their own stories and become real-life authors themselves, through discovering the world of Roald Dahl.
The award-winning museum, aimed at 6 to 12 year olds and their families, is currently celebrating its 10th birthday. It is by no means large, but manages to pack a lot into its three galleries.The first of these is named ‘Boy Gallery’, in reference to Dahl’s autobiographical book of the same name. Stepping through the large chocolate doors, you will discover how Roald’s experiences at school inspired many of his stories. Among the photos, funny anecdotes, and letters from the archive, are interactive displays that will keep both adults and children amused through touch screen and hands-on activities.
Moving on to the second gallery; ‘Solo’, again a reference to Dahl’s book ‘Going Solo’ that describes his adventures as a pilot, there is lots to explore. Our party included 4 boys between the ages of 5 and 12, and all of them were clamouring to explore the cockpit of a World War Two Gladiator plane, a copy of the one Roald flew, before measuring themselves
up against Dahl’s characters to find out if they were as tall as an Oompa Loompa or The Grand High Witch! But, the most fascinating exhibit for me was the‘Writing Hut’. The museum carefully and painstakingly removed the actual interior of Roald Dahl’s favourite place to write, namely the shed in his garden, and transported it piece by piece to the museum. It is full of curios and pictures and then there is Roald’s writing chair and lamp. It doesn’t take much to imagine the man himself sitting there at work. The gallery is also packed with interactive screens, displays and activities that invite you to discover facts about the stories, watch animations, and even test your spark factor on a ‘Sparkometer’!
The third gallery named ‘The Story Centre’ is a place for imaginations to run free.You could easily spend an hour or more in this gallery alone; there is so much to do. Technology is cleverly used to inspire creativity; through the ‘stop frame animation‘ activity that kept our group captivated for what seemed like hours, to the cinema area where a film plays of various well known children’s authors talking about how they get their ideas. There is also the chance to dress up as characters from Dahl’s stories, invent your own made up words, cut and stick your own character and sit in a replica of Roald Dahl’s writing chair.
The museum extends into an attractive courtyard area, where there is a café, shop, and
areas for workshop and craft activities; namely Miss Honey’s Classroom and George’s Crafty Kitchen. The museum offers a comprehensive programme of special events for visitors at a small additional cost; anything from songs and storytelling, to cookery, circus skills and crafts - there is something to entertain almost everyone! For details of these special events check out the website at www.roalddahl.com/museum. On the day we visited, we had not booked a special event, but there was storytelling going on in Miss Honey’s Classroom (these sessions are free and run at weekends) which we joined in with. The children thoroughly enjoyed getting involved with tales from Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, led by a very enthusiastic and energetic ‘storyteller’.
In spite of my 41 years, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the museum. I was, and still am a great fan of Dahl’s stories, having read them as a child myself and revisited them more recently with my own children. Many would argue that Dahl is the best children’s author of our time, and with so many of his stories being made into films and musicals, his popularity lives on. If you have enjoyed any of his stories, or if you have school-aged children, then a visit to the village he called home for 36 years, and the museum within it, will be time well spent!
Admission charges: £6.60 adults, £4.40 children aged 5-18.
For further information visit: www.roalddahl.com/museum
Shakespeare’s Globe is one of the world’s greatest open air theatres, a painstakingly faithful recreation of the original 16th century playhouse which stood a hop, skip and a bow away from the current Thameside location and where many of the Bard’s works were performed for the first time. The original Elizabethan Globe thrived until an unfortunate accident: a stage cannon misfired into the theatre’s thatched roof mid-performance. In less than one hour the entire theatre had burned to the ground.
The reconstructed Globe was founded by late expatriate American actor, activist and tireless fundraiser Sam Wanamaker. Since its debut in 1997, the Globe has been a success story beyond all expectations. Whether you’re a literary scholar or virgin ‘groundling’, a visit to the Globe Theatre during its annual April to October season is simply a must.
‘Justice and Mercy’is this season’s theme, and includes top-drawer productions of Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, Measure for Measure, King John and Richard II, with a number of shows touring the UK and abroad. Globe seats sell out fast, but 700 groundling tickets are available daily for an astonishing £5. This gets you a standing spot in front of the stage, we think the best and most authentic way to see a show.
For another unique summer theatrical delight, it’s a short trip north to Regents Park Open Air Theatre, splendidly set amidst the lush overgrowth of London’s most beautiful Royal Park. A showcase for award- winning theatre from May to late September for the past 83 years, it’s renowned as a place to see outstanding new talent likely to become
tomorrow’s stars. Historically this has included Judi Dench, Vivien Leigh, Ralph Fiennes, Richard E. Grant, Sheridan Smith and many more. This summer’s programme boasts classic American musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Peter Pan, The Seagull and a critically acclaimed production of Lord of the Flies, prior to its major UK autumn tour.
The theatre can be notoriously hard to find - only adding to its charms - so if you’re a first time visitor be sure to leave a little extra time for the search. You’ll know it’s worth it when you pass through the semi-hidden gates and enter a secret garden of delights complete with rambling picnic lawn, BBQs and the longest bar in London, twinkling with fairy lights.
Be forewarned that the Globe and the Open Air Theatre are verily open to the elements and
whatever the weather the show will (almost always) go on. But come rain or shine - and yes, we’ve witnessed hail, lightning storms, sweltering heat and set-shaking winds - we promise your visit will be a magical experience.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre season, April-October, with productions also touring UK & worldwide www.shakespearesglobe.com
Travelling half-way around the world for international relocation is a huge change for even the most well-adjusted adult to manage – so how can we support children experiencing the move, whilst juggling the tricky business of growing up?
Join us for a tour of the school or at the IB Diploma College Open Evening on Thursday 23rd November (6pm – 8pm)
Blue Badge Guide and native Londoner Erica Moss has been leading bespoke tours for a mainly American clientele for nearly four years. Following a first career in journalism, Erica decided to undergo the rigorous training required to gain the London Blue Badge, considered the Gold Standard of tour guiding.
s, you will discover how Roald’s experiences at school inspired many of his stories. Among the photos, funny anecdotes, and letters from the archive, are interactive displays that will keep both adults and children amused through touch screen and hands-on activities.
For another unique summer theatrical delight, it’s a short trip north to Regents Park Open Air Theatre, splendidly set amidst the lush overgrowth of London’s most beautiful Royal Park. A showcase for award- winning theatre from May to late September for the past 83 years, it’s renowned as a place to see outstanding new talent likely to become
tomorrow’s stars. Historically this has included Judi Dench, Vivien Leigh, Ralph Fiennes, Richard E. Grant, Sheridan Smith and many more. This summer’s programme boasts classic American musical 
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