Hello everyone,
Moving abroad can be particularly hard on children. For any parent planning a move to Kuwait, it is of utmost importance to make sure they do everything in their power to make sure their children's transition is as smooth as possible. Would you be able to give a few tips to parents planning to move to Kuwait by answering the following questions on children integration?
What does one need to factor in when choosing a new school for their children in Kuwait?
How does one prepare their children for the transition into a new school in Kuwait?
How does one help their children integrate into their new school? Any tips to help a child transitioning into a completely different new program or curriculum?
Is there an age period during which a child really should change schools?
What are the signs that a child is having trouble transitioning into their new school?
Tell us how it went for your child in Kuwait.
Please share your experience,
Bhavna
Children integration in a new school in Kuwait
Hi,
There r many schools in Kuwait in different areas like Arabic, English, British, American, Indian, Pakistani and other schools. Each one has its positives n negatives from point of payments, teaching materials, transportation and so...
Upon your kids age and ur plan for their future u can choose...
Good luck
As mentioned in the post above, it all depends what kind of school you are heading for. British and American schools can be a bit pricy, however they definitely provide better quality education than other. Also a big question is which area in Kuwait are you moving in, since such areas as Salmiya, Hawally, Salwa or Jabriya (if you gonna drive your kids to school, be prepared for heavy congestion in those areas) would have plenty of schools to choose from. There are many old schools in Kuwait which throughout the years maintained their good reputation such as BSK, KES, New English School, or an expensive but providing the newest facilities and quality AUS, also EPG schools are worth of checking. When it comes to the transition into a new school, it has a lot to do with the child itself. Depending weather your child easily develops new friendships or he/she is rather an introvert having a difficult time with changes. Nowadays, parents are mobile due to their dynamic careers and children travel with them a lot. There will be many kids who have been through multiple school changes. It's good to talk with the teachers about your child, giving them a bit of heads-up on your child. Try also get involved in the school's parents community so that you can keep track on the newest developments at school.
Children's Integration into Kuwait
By Abena Robinson
Moving to any country can be daunting anddifficult especially on children. Kuwait is predominantly a Muslim country with a rich heritage. Important tips for parents preparation, planning and successful children integration to Kuwait.
Knowledge is Power:-parents should do as much research as possible on their children's school and surrounding government and private schools.
Different School Week , Different School Times, - Parents will discover in their research that the school week in Kuwait is from Sunday- Thursday. The times to attend school are typically 7:30am-(1:30-3:30)vary depending on student's grade level. The Academic calendar is usually from September-June ( or August-May) The Private and Public schools in Kuwait are regulated by the Ministry of education . Many are segregated and others have mixed classes of both boys and girls. Private Schools cater more to expats, they are taught in English but are not cheap. In Ramadan the school times change considerably due to nationwide Muslim fasting. Scheduling an appointment with your potential school to tour this school and ask questions is a good idea.
Enrollment: Updated records of your child is imperative
The Ministry of Education requires that every school keeps an up to date file on each pupil, including at least the following :
Application form (English and Arabic) and passport photographs
Declaration Letter
Photocopies of Birth Certificate, Passport pages, Residency stamp and Civil ID
Photocopy of father's Civil ID or nationality card
Medical card and BCG vaccination card
Transfer Certificate if moving from a Middle Eastern Country or another school in Kuwait
Social Media: your children's school Facebook and instagram sites give you more information about their school
( join and stay informed about classes, school activities, events , ministry of education expectations, faculty, staff administration and school aesthetics), depending on the grade level many teachers have Plusportals, ClassDojo, Edmodo or other sites you can communicate with them daily regarding your children.
Expat.com, your embassy's website, kuwaituptodate are some of the great social media resources to help you learn more about Kuwait.
Expat playmates and local playmates: when children are transitioning to a new culture they need to have an open mind about new ideas and a new culture. Friends can help them in transitioning to Kuwait. You can get to know other expats and locals through websites and school events , parent whatsapp groups, parent Facebook groups, Internation groups, American Women's League Kuwait, local churches, local mosque, Your Embassy in Kuwait etc.
Most schools in Kuwait are public schools which educate in the Arabic language. There are some schools which run under Indian CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education), British, American and French systems, or a combination of languages.
Here is a list of schools in Kuwait:
American Schools
Kuwait American School
American School of Kuwait
American International School of Kuwait
Universal American School
American Creativity Academy
American Academy for Girls
American International School of Gulf
Bilingual Schools
Al-Bayan Bilingual School
Dasman Model School
Future Bilingual School
Al-Ghanim Bilingual School
Al-Ru'ya Bilingual School
Rawd Alsalheen Bilingual School (R.S.B.S.)
Anglo Arab Bilingual Academy
Kuwait Bilingual School in the city of Jahra, Kuwait
Kuwait Academy Bilingual School ( K.A.B.S )
Canadian Bilingual school (C.B.S)
American Bilingual School (A.B.S)
Al-Ma'alee Bilingual School
Pioneers Bilingual School (PBS)
The Rainbow Playgroup
Ajial Bilingual School
British Schools
Kuwait English School (K.E.S)
The English School Fahaheel (E.S.F)
New English School (Kuwait) New English School (N.E.S)
The English School, Kuwait (T.E.S)
Kuwait International English School (K.I.E.S)
British School of Kuwait (B.S.K)
Falcon English School (F.E.S)
Cascade British Nursery School
Gulf English School (G.E.S)
Kuwait National English School (K.N.E.S)
The English Academy (T.E.A)
International Academy of Kuwait (I.A.K)
Cambridge English School - Mangaf & Hawally (C.E.S)
Oxford Academy of Kuwait
English School of Girls - Salwa (E.S.G)
Tahreer English School
The English Primary School
The English Playground (Infant school)
Gulf British Academy (G.B.A)
Lycée Francais Du Koweït (The French School)
Indian Schools
Carmel School
Indian Community School, Amman Branch
Indian Community School, Senior Girls
Indian Community School, Junior Branch
Indian Community School, Khaitan Branch
Don Bosco School
Delhi Public School
United Indian School
Integrated School
Nursery Schools
Al-Burooj
British International Nursery
British Playhouse
Bubbles Montessori Nursery
Cascade British Nursery School
Gulf Montessori Nursery
Happy Chappies Montessori
Kuwait Montessori Nursery
Learning Steps Montessori Nursery
Little Land Nursery
Marafie Nursery
Twinkle Star Nursery
Universal English Nursery
New Curriculum to your children: When you discover the (American, British etc.)curriculum of your children's school, you can help your child with this transition by giving them additional aid , hiring a tutor, sylvan learning center, requesting help from learning center or ESL teacher at your school.
Counselor: The counselor at your child's school can help especially if they have some additional questions about the school or need to talk to someone privately about their transition.
Wifi, VPN: you can purchase local yearly internet plans with Viva or Zain ( local internet companies in Kuwait). Children's favorite fun and education movies and shows at home help with their transition to Kuwait.
Signs of Difficulties with transition into Kuwait: withdrawn, sad or angry a lot, not eating or sleeping, unexplained bruises, depression, many absences from school....if you experience these signs with your children and did interventions with the school counselor to no avail ... it's time to change schools.
Activities for Children in Kuwait:
After sixteen years of successful teaching in the US and 4 successful teaching years in Kuwait , I am a big proponent of Arts Education to develop the Whole child. Get your child involved in a good Arts, Music , Dance or Soccer Program.or you can introduce them to engineering, medicine or architecture at a young age. There are so many Academic and Arts Activities they can enjoy:
Engineering for Kids
The Little Scientist
Archicamp
Archikidacademy
Young Doctors Academy
Institute Français
Artspace Cafe
Ballet for Girls
Cute Bakery
Aqua Tots swimming school
Checkbom tennis lessons
Gymnazia kuwait
Kidzania
Japan karate association
Scientific Center
Al Shaheed Park
And much more
Many malls and restaurants have safe large indoor play areas for children in Kuwait.
For many years I told my students this... “ Do your best! Forget about the rest and do your best!”
Respectfully submitted
Abena Robinson
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