When home is suddenly somewhere else: Helping children find belonging after moving to the UAE

Every year, thousands of families relocate to the UAE, home to more than 200 nationalities. They arrive with hopes of new opportunities, career growth and a better future for their children. For many families, Dubai represents possibilities, a diverse, international environment where their children can experience very good education, new cultures, and opportunities.

Yet behind every successful relocation is a quieter emotional journey.

While adults are often focused on employment, housing, finances and school arrangements, children are adapting to a much deeper transition. They are leaving behind familiar surroundings, friendships, teachers, extended family, routines and the places that helped shape their sense of security.

Relocation is not simply a change of address. For children, it is a process of rebuilding familiarity, connection and belonging.

Children thrive when they feel safe, understood and connected. A strong sense of belonging to family, school, friendships and community plays an important role in emotional wellbeing, confidence and resilience.

Moving to a new country temporarily disrupts many of the relationships and routines that help children feel grounded. A child may enter a classroom where friendships have already formed, encounter unfamiliar social expectations, adjust to different teaching styles or navigate a new cultural environment.

For younger children, this may appear through changes in behaviour, increased need for reassurance or difficulty separating from caregivers. Older children and adolescents may experience deeper questions about identity and belonging:

Where do I fit in? Who understands me? Where is home now? These responses are not signs that something is wrong. They are common reactions to significant life transitions and usually improve when children receive understanding, stability and support.

Relocating to a new country brings exciting opportunities, but it also means leaving behind familiar people, places and routines.

Children may miss grandparents, extended family, close friends, favourite teachers, neighbourhoods or activities they enjoyed. At the same time, they may feel excited about exploring a new country, making new friends and experiencing different opportunities. Both emotions can exist together.

Parents can support this transition by creating space for children to talk openly about their experiences. A child does not need to choose between appreciating their previous home and embracing their new one. Maintaining meaningful connections with the past while developing new relationships can strengthen a child’s identity and help them feel secure in their new environment.

There is no single timeline for settling into a new country. Some children quickly embrace change, enjoy meeting new people and become comfortable in their new surroundings. Others require more time before they feel confident and connected.

Adjustment depends on many factors, including age, personality, previous experiences of change, family relationships, school environment, language, cultural differences and opportunities to build friendships.

Children’s emotions may also fluctuate. They may appear excited one day and uncertain the next. This is a normal part of adapting to a major life change. With patient support, predictable routines and caring relationships, most children gradually develop a sense of comfort and belonging.

Many children growing up in the UAE experience life across multiple cultures as there are so many nationalities. They may speak different languages, celebrate different traditions and develop friendships with people from around the globe.

For many young people, this becomes one of their greatest strengths. International experiences can help children develop empathy, flexibility, cultural awareness and the ability to navigate different environments.

However, adolescence is also a time when identity becomes especially important. Some internationally mobile young people describe feeling connected to several places but not completely belonging to one.

Parents can support healthy identity development by helping children value every part of their story, their heritage, their previous experiences and their new life in the UAE. Belonging does not require choosing one place over another. A child can carry multiple cultures, relationships and experiences as part of who they are.

For some expatriate families, moving countries is part of their lifestyle and work. Multiple relocations can provide valuable opportunities, but they can also require children to repeatedly adapt to new schools, friendships and environments.

Some children become highly adaptable and confident because of these experiences. Others may become more cautious about forming close friendships if they have experienced repeated goodbyes.

Parents can gently encourage children to continue building meaningful relationships while recognising that change and separation are sometimes part of international life.

Helping children maintain important relationships while also encouraging new connections allows them to develop confidence and emotional security.

Feeling homesick, worried or unsettled after moving is a normal response to change.

However, parents may wish to seek professional advice if difficulties continue, become more intense or begin affecting everyday life, relationships or functioning.

Signs that a child may benefit from additional support can include:

These signs do not necessarily mean a child has a mental health condition. They may simply indicate that additional support could help them navigate a challenging period. Seeking support early is a positive and proactive step towards protecting emotional wellbeing.

Parents remain one of the most important sources of emotional security during times of change.

Helpful ways to support children include:

Children do not have to leave their previous life behind in order to embrace their new one. A strong sense of identity can be built from both past experiences and new opportunities.

Counselling is not only for times of crisis. During periods of significant change, counselling can provide children and adolescents with a safe, confidential space to explore their experiences, understand their emotions and develop healthy coping strategies.

A supportive therapeutic relationship can help children:

For adolescents especially, counselling can provide valuable support as they navigate both relocation and the normal developmental process of discovering who they are.

Where appropriate, working collaboratively with parents and schools can help create consistent support around the child. Seeking counselling reflects a commitment to supporting their emotional wellbeing during an important life transition.

Relocating internationally is one of the biggest transitions a family can experience. Alongside its challenges come valuable opportunities for children to develop resilience, independence, cultural understanding and adaptability.

Many children who grow up internationally develop strengths that remain with them throughout life. They learn to appreciate different perspectives, communicate across cultures and adapt to unfamiliar situations.

With patient support from parents, understanding from schools and professional guidance when needed, children can gradually create a new sense of belonging.

Home is not only a physical location. For children, home is created through relationships, familiarity, acceptance and the feeling that they are understood and valued. A new country may begin as an unfamiliar place, but with time and connection, it can become a place where children feel confident, secure and truly at home.

Fariha Khan is a counsellor working in Dubai HealthCare City, Dubai