clayts Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 Hi all, I'm in the process of an application with the Army and although my wife and I have been considering emigrating to Australia for a few years we do not want to disadvantage our 7 year old boy who is currently doing really well with sport and school. Please can some parents of similar aged children let me know how their kids adapted out there? Thank you. Sent using Poms in Oz mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 Some kids settle, some don't. If they're close to grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and have really strong school friendships they're more likely to struggle. No one can tell how any particular kid is going to be - it's luck of the draw really. Is he currently an army child - are you doing a Lat Transfer? Army kids often cope with change better than kids who have been static all their lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernbird Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 Brought my kids out here when they were 7 and 3. As an oil and gas family we had moved a lot so it wasn't a big deal for them and they settled with no issues. As Quoll says if you are used to being around family and have a close knit group of friends they may find it harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 Agree with the above. We moved out when our son was 5 (he sounds similar your son re school and sport). Hubby is an Aussie and we didn't live near any family in the UK and were/are pretty self sufficient in that respect. Our son has absolutely loved it since we moved here. We did move schools 6 or so months in as we moved out of the area and I didn't want to keep commuting to his school. Plus the school in our new area was so much better all round and it was a no brainer to change. Son has never looked back. Sport wise, we have embraced Aus rules footy (a great way to make friends/get to know people if you are in a big AFL area), basketball, Little Athletics http://littleathletics.com.au/ , cricket (club and T20 Blast for kids) and swimming. Also on and off some tennis, cycling and one or two other sports. School sport wise we keep to cricket and footy (Aus rules) only as most of our sports we prefer to do via a club as we've found it easier to meet people socially and there is far more depth and options in terms of ability and coaching etc (this could be different if attending a private school but state wise we've just found going outside of school to be better overall). Via clubs now we do cricket, footy and Little Aths. We spend a lot of time outdoors, hiking trails in the cooler months, parks, reserves, BMX tracks and more. Plus the beach all year round for swimming in the hotter months or walks in winter. Love that there is an abundance of public tennis courts dotted all round the suburbs of the city and its outer lying areas, plus basketball/netball hoops that everyone can use. We have courts within a few hundred metres of our house and make regular use of them. Lots of local families/kids use them too. There wasn't much to adapt to tbh. A great deal will depend on the child and their ability to make friends, form some connections and to embrace things. Also factor in what area you settle in, the school you'll be looking to send him to. Getting those things right and not being afraid to perhaps make changes if its not the best place for him in the long term, those things will be important also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayts Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 Some kids settle, some don't. If they're close to grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and have really strong school friendships they're more likely to struggle. No one can tell how any particular kid is going to be - it's luck of the draw really. Is he currently an army child - are you doing a Lat Transfer? Army kids often cope with change better than kids who have been static all their lives.Thanks, I'm actually RAF and although we've moved around a bit, we've stayed in our own house for a few years now. Sent using Poms in Oz mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayts Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 Agree with the above. We moved out when our son was 5 (he sounds similar your son re school and sport). Hubby is an Aussie and we didn't live near any family in the UK and were/are pretty self sufficient in that respect. Our son has absolutely loved it since we moved here. We did move schools 6 or so months in as we moved out of the area and I didn't want to keep commuting to his school. Plus the school in our new area was so much better all round and it was a no brainer to change. Son has never looked back. Sport wise, we have embraced Aus rules footy (a great way to make friends/get to know people if you are in a big AFL area), basketball, Little Athletics http://littleathletics.com.au/ , cricket (club and T20 Blast for kids) and swimming. Also on and off some tennis, cycling and one or two other sports. School sport wise we keep to cricket and footy (Aus rules) only as most of our sports we prefer to do via a club as we've found it easier to meet people socially and there is far more depth and options in terms of ability and coaching etc (this could be different if attending a private school but state wise we've just found going outside of school to be better overall). Via clubs now we do cricket, footy and Little Aths. We spend a lot of time outdoors, hiking trails in the cooler months, parks, reserves, BMX tracks and more. Plus the beach all year round for swimming in the hotter months or walks in winter. Love that there is an abundance of public tennis courts dotted all round the suburbs of the city and its outer lying areas, plus basketball/netball hoops that everyone can use. We have courts within a few hundred metres of our house and make regular use of them. Lots of local families/kids use them too. There wasn't much to adapt to tbh. A great deal will depend on the child and their ability to make friends, form some connections and to embrace things. Also factor in what area you settle in, the school you'll be looking to send him to. Getting those things right and not being afraid to perhaps make changes if its not the best place for him in the long term, those things will be important also. Thank you, very useful info, we're not surrounded by family not at least there will be no change there. I'm hoping I get offered either Melbourne or Brisbane areas which seems to offer a good life which my son can grow up in. Sent using Poms in Oz mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 10 minutes ago, clayts said: Thanks, I'm actually RAF and although we've moved around a bit, we've stayed in our own house for a few years now. Sent using Poms in Oz mobile app If you're transferring into the Aus army then he will have regular moves, because it's a much bigger country, there isn't quite the same capacity to change deployments but live in the same place. Changing states can be a bit of a challenge educationally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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