Children come from all over the world to live with an adopted family in America, usually opening them up to new opportunities unavailable to them in their previous household. Of course, it can be a shock to the child when they arrive. Make things easy on your new adopted child with these 4 tips for helping adopted foreign children assimilate to their new life.
1. Break the Language Barrier
Your child isn't only moving to a new country — they are also moving into a new family. You need to be able to communicate as a family, but that can be difficult if the child doesn't speak English yet.
Babies and infants will learn English at a similar rate as their peers. However, older children will need to learn a new language on top of the other changes happening in their lives. Get your child an English tutor. You can also learn their native language in an effort to learn about them and their culture.
2. Embrace Your Child's Cultural Identity
Your child is an American, but they also have ties to their origin country. Do not suppress these connections; on the contrary, embrace them. Bring some of the child's culture into your home by eating foods popular in their home country, watching their movies, and listening to their music. You can look for cultural centers in your city where your child can meet other people from their home country. You can also visit the country to experience it together.
3. Offer Therapy
12 to 14% of adopted children receive a mental illness diagnosis before the age of 18. Adopted children have special needs, as many of them develop abandonment issues or identity issues. You can take preventative measures to stop this by offering to take your adopted child to therapy. The therapist can help them work through complicated feelings regarding their birth parents and teach the child coping mechanisms for anxiety and depression.
4. Explore America
Now that your child is in America, you should explore the country together as a family to show them everything the country has to offer. Explore both the cities and the rural natural destinations. The country is large, so it'll take a lifetime to complete your task, but you can do it together as a family. Don't forget to take pictures of every place you visit.
Contact an adoption agency to find out more.
