How do you prepare your child for moving back to the Netherlands?

How do you prepare your child for moving back to the Netherlands?

Perhaps your family has been living abroad for five years.

Or eight. Or twelve.

Your child goes to school there, has friends, may speak fluent English, Spanish, Italian or another language, and feels completely at home.

And yet, somewhere in the back of your mind, there is that question:

What if we move back to the Netherlands one day?

For many of the families we work with at Dutch for Kids, there isn’t a definite plan yet.

Perhaps you’ll return in two years. Maybe your child will move to the Netherlands for secondary school. Or perhaps your family will continue living abroad, but your child may want to study in the Netherlands later.

And maybe you’ll never move back at all.

But for many parents, keeping that possibility open is incredibly important.

Because if the day does come when you decide to return to the Netherlands, you don’t want your child to have to start from scratch.

So, how can you prepare your child for moving back to the Netherlands while you are still living abroad?

Luckily, there is already so much you can do.

1. Make sure Dutch doesn’t remain just a home language

This may be one of the most important things to consider.

Many Dutch children growing up abroad speak Dutch at home with one or both parents.

That is a fantastic foundation.

But there is a big difference between being able to speak Dutch around the breakfast table and being able to use Dutch in a classroom in the Netherlands.

At school, your child suddenly needs to read and understand texts. Write answers. Explain why they think something. Take a spelling test. Conjugate verbs. Give a presentation.

They also need to understand academic words that aren’t necessarily used in everyday family conversations.

That is why it is important for Dutch to become not only a language your child can speak, but also a language in which they can learn.

2. Start Dutch lessons before you move back

At Dutch for Kids, we have been teaching children living abroad for thirteen years.

Some of our students already know they will eventually return to the Netherlands.

For other families, there is no plan at all. They simply want to make sure that returning remains an option.

With our online Dutch lessons, children can continue developing their Dutch from anywhere in the world and work towards the level expected in Dutch education.

Our lessons are taught by qualified teachers and follow the skills and learning goals of Dutch primary education.

But over the years, we also noticed something.

A child who spends the entire week at an international school isn’t necessarily going to be very enthusiastic if we open a traditional spelling book online and say:

“Right, today we’re doing lesson four.”

So we developed our own colourful teaching materials.

The same Dutch spelling rules.

The same grammar.

The same language skills.

But all incorporated into engaging themes that match children’s ages and interests.

Younger children might have a lesson about spring, for example. Older students might learn about Mondrian. Around the holidays, Dutch traditions and celebrations can become part of the lesson too.

And that means our Dutch lessons are actually about much more than language alone.

3. Prepare your child for Dutch culture too

Because moving back to the Netherlands isn’t just about spelling and grammar.

Your child will also enter a different school culture.

Perhaps they have spent years at an international school.

Maybe they have never attended school in the Netherlands at all.

In that case, it helps if the Netherlands doesn’t feel like a completely unfamiliar country.

That is why Dutch topics, traditions, stories, art, celebrations and culture also appear in our lessons.

Children learn to speak, read and write Dutch, while at the same time picking up little pieces of the Netherlands along the way.

It helps keep the country familiar.

4. Create one Dutch moment every day

You don’t suddenly have to start speaking Dutch all day at home.

Keep it simple.

Choose one regular moment when you consciously speak Dutch together.

For example:

Breakfast is in Dutch.

Or:

We speak Dutch during dinner.

Even if your partner doesn’t speak Dutch fluently, you can still choose a small part of the day when you give it a try.

The important thing is that your child actively uses Dutch regularly.

And above all, keep it enjoyable.

You don’t want Dutch to become the language that makes everyone think:

Oh no, not this again…

It should feel like a familiar and positive part of family life.

5. Read a Dutch book every evening

This is so simple, but incredibly valuable.

Turn bedtime into a little Dutch moment.

Choose a Dutch book together and read a few pages every evening.

With younger children, you can read aloud.

Older children can read independently, or you can take turns reading a page.

Without even realising it, your child is encountering new Dutch words, seeing how Dutch sentences are structured and practising their reading skills.

And afterwards they can fall asleep completely immersed in Dutch. 😉

6. Listen to Dutch audiobooks

Don’t always have time to read aloud?

Audiobooks are wonderful.

During a long car journey.

On the sofa.

Outside in the garden.

Or while your child is drawing.

Put on a Dutch audiobook and let your child listen.

For younger children, a story such as Jip and Janneke can be lovely, but there are plenty of Dutch audiobooks available for all different ages.

Your child repeatedly hears Dutch pronunciation, sentence structures and vocabulary without it feeling like a lesson.

7. Sing along to Dutch music

Here’s another activity that definitely doesn’t feel like homework:

Dutch music.

Put on Kinderen voor Kinderen in the car, for example.

The first few times, your child may simply listen.

But after hearing the same song for the twentieth time?

Suddenly they’re singing along at full volume from the back seat.

And without realising it, they are practising Dutch sounds, words and complete sentences.

Learning a language really doesn’t always have to involve sitting at a table with a worksheet.

8. Find other Dutch children nearby

Are there other Dutch families living near you?

Try to meet up.

Playdates with Dutch-speaking children can be incredibly valuable.

Suddenly, your child isn’t speaking Dutch to Mum or Dad, but to another child their own age.

That is a completely different experience.

It can be useful for parents too.

You can exchange Dutch books, share magazines and recommend Dutch films, programmes, podcasts or books that your children enjoy.

Together, you can create a little piece of the Netherlands abroad.

9. Keep in touch with grandparents, family and friends in the Netherlands

Grandparents may just be some of the best free language teachers around.

Encourage your child to have regular contact with family and friends in the Netherlands.

And that doesn’t always have to mean a long video call.

Send Grandma a voice message:

“Do you know what I did today?”

Record a little video.

Write a postcard.

Send a WhatsApp message.

Write a letter.

Or send a photo and let your child type a Dutch sentence to go with it.

Your child is practising Dutch, but something else is happening too:

You’re keeping their connection with the Netherlands alive.

And that connection can become incredibly valuable if you eventually move back.

10. Keep an eye on reading, spelling and reading comprehension

When returning to the Netherlands starts becoming a more realistic possibility, it is useful to look at how your child’s Dutch compares with that of children of the same age in the Netherlands.

How is their reading?

Can they read fluently?

Can they understand Dutch texts aimed at their age group?

How is their spelling?

Do they know Dutch grammar rules?

How broad is their vocabulary?

Can they write a story or longer text independently?

At Dutch for Kids, we can work on speaking, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, reading, reading comprehension, writing and reading fluency.

The aim isn’t for children to complete as many worksheets as possible.

The aim is for them to eventually walk into a Dutch classroom and think:

I can do this.

Returning to a Dutch primary school

Once you actually decide to move back, your child will have a lot to deal with.

A new home.

A new school.

New friends.

And perhaps saying goodbye to a country where they have spent most or even all of their childhood.

That is why it can be such a relief if language doesn’t have to become another major hurdle.

If you’ve already been working on Dutch while living abroad, your child has an important foundation.

They know the language.

They have read Dutch books.

They recognise vocabulary used in Dutch schools.

They have practised spelling and reading comprehension.

And perhaps, through their lessons, they already know all sorts of Dutch stories, traditions and cultural topics.

Hopefully, the Netherlands then feels a little less like a strange country they suddenly have to move to.

And a little more like a place they already know.

What if you never move back?

Then all that effort certainly hasn’t been wasted.

Perhaps your family will continue living abroad.

But maybe, at eighteen, your child suddenly decides they would like to study in the Netherlands.

Or work there later.

Or live close to family for a while.

You simply don’t know where life will take them.

That is exactly why so many parents who come to Dutch for Kids tell me:

“We just want to keep that possibility open.”

And I completely understand.

You don’t have to decide today where your child will live in the future.

But you can make sure that language won’t be the reason a particular door has to remain closed.

Give your child the feeling: there is a place for me in the Netherlands too

Perhaps this is the most important part of all.

Maintaining Dutch isn’t only about spelling, grammar and vocabulary.

It’s also about connection.

With grandparents.

With family.

With Dutch stories and traditions.

And with a country where your child may not live, but which is still part of who they are and where they come from.

By keeping that connection alive while living abroad, you can give your child something incredibly valuable:

My life is here, but there is a place for me in the Netherlands too.

And if one day your family decides to move back, your child doesn’t have to start all over again.

The foundation is already there.

Dutch lessons to prepare for moving back to the Netherlands

Are you currently living abroad but considering moving back to the Netherlands with your children in the future?

Or perhaps you have no idea what the future holds, but you would like your child to keep up with Dutch education and keep their options open?

Dutch for Kids would be happy to help.

During a free introductory meeting, we talk about the languages your child speaks, the school they currently attend, their existing Dutch skills and what you would eventually like to work towards.

After that, we can arrange a free trial lesson with a teacher who is a good match for your child.

Step by step, we can prepare your child from abroad so that when the time comes to start school in the Netherlands, they don’t have to wonder:

Can I do this?

Instead, they can think:

I know this. I speak the language. And I can join in.