Emigrating is child’s play for kids, study finds

Expat kids are happy to dive right into a life in Spain

Although moving abroad to another country can be an extremely rewarding and enriching experience, the process can often take its toll on some people, not least the younger members of the family forced to uproot from their childhood home and leave behind friends and schooling.

However, a recent study by Spain’s Obra Social La Caixa has revealed that it is in fact the younger generation who settle into their new life abroad better than adults…The research investigated the impact of emigrating on 7,000 youngsters aged between 12 and 17. In assessing the types of issues that were most likely to unsettle uprooted children, such as problems at school, making new friends, learning a new language and culture, and trying to stay positive, the study found that a massive 78.4% of children experienced none of these problems. Only 4.3% encountered more than two of the problems listed above.

The findings appear to show that children are more adaptable to change (not a wholly surprising result), and that any problems that may come their way when learning to integrate into a new country are quickly shrugged aside.

The leader of the study, Professor Rosa Aparicio, remarked that young children who have moved to Spain felt accepted into the local society more quickly than their parents, and as a result were able to pick up the language relatively easy.

“The date shows a positive adaptation process and a psychological and cultural convergence between children of expats and children of natives,” Aparicio said. In other words, the local kids were happy to welcome the outsiders into their social circles, and the newcomers were more than happy to accept that invitation without complaint or hesitation.

As adults, such a process can take longer as it can prove difficult to erode emotional or psychological barriers to change, the researchers suggested.

Somewhat surprisingly, teenagers actually found the move to a foreign country the least stressful because they face less prejudice than adults but more awareness than their younger counterparts – suggesting that they approached the upheaval in a positive manner and sought to take advantage of the opportunities passed their way, rather than focus on the negatives over which they have little control.

Moving to Spain will, undoubtedly, bring its stresses and strains to your family. But if you do have little ones in tow and had worried about how they might respond to being uprooted to an entirely new country, it appears that your misgivings are misplaced. Children are robust and adaptable, and will find it easy to respond positively to a new culture.

The study added that children aged 10 and under were most likely to settle in easily and will have the least difficulty with picking up a new language, which can sometimes prove tricky for teenagers aged 15 and over. However, children in this age bracket will soon catch up with their younger counterparts.

Adults aged 18 and over take longer to learn the lingo, with the task becoming increasingly more difficult with age – further proof that there is never a better time to start learning Spanish than right away! Or should we say ‘pronto!’