When children reach a certain age, parents want them to learn about what happens in the world. Many parents struggle with the way news are presented on TV. In fact, pictures and the way news are presented in the evening news can be quite traumatising. A great alternative are online news sites for children, where children and parents can choose the kind of news they think are appropriate and get more information about some topics in a child friendly way. What I personally like about online news is the choice to either read or watch the news.

Like in many multilingual families, my children like to have access to news in different languages. As I’m far from knowing about online news programms for children in other languages, asked some parents from the Multicultual Kid Blogs group to share news sites they recommend for children and am glad to share this here below.

Danish:

Rita Rosenback recommends the Danish site Kidsnews. You have to subscribe to the magazine, but the news videos are for free.

Dutch:

The Dutch Jeugdjournaal is a news programm for children that goes live every day at 18:45 and can also be watched online. There is also a Jeugdjournaal app that permits you to access news in a child appropriate format on mobile devices.

English (British):

Amanda van Mulligen suggested the BBC site for news. This site is very interesting not only for news but also for general information about different topics.

Another site that my children like to visit is the First News Site.

French:

Annabelle Humanes recommends the real paper newspaper that has also a news website. This website is, as far as I could see, without videos, therefore children need to be able to read to access the news.

Isabelle Barth points out that in France and in French-speaking countries, there is no News Channel just for children. But they have few channels just for childern an they have news in their programs. These channels are: Gulli, Tivi5mondeplus and canalj.

German:

On the German tivi site, children can watch news and choose the topics they’re interested in.

Italian:

The Italian site Bambininews offers news for children who already can read. In fact, there are no videos available (so far). Also, some Italian newspapers publish news sites for children, like Il Giorno. The TV channel RaiGulp offers also online access to some series and news, but, as far as I know, there is no video news programm online.

Norwegian:

And on the Norwegian site nrksuper children can access the news that are also aired on TV online.

Portuguese:

For Portuguese, Annabelle Humanes‘ husband recommends the Folinha de São Paulo, a website or supplement from an adult newspaper. It is Brazilian.

Russian:

Anna Watt recommends two Russian websites, one for a younger audience and one for 10-16 year olds and older.

Spanish:

The Spanish site educatumundo is an educational site for children, parents and teachers. Under noticias you can find several topics, written for children. These news are not available on video, but maybe there is another site that offers news clips in Spanish?

Swedish:

Rita Rosenback recommends the Swedish site SVT, where children can watch the news.

***

Of course, these are only a few online news sites for children and I really would like to extend this list. Therefore, I would really be glad if you could recommend any further online news sites for children in the comments section here below (indicating your name and, if you have one, your website). – Thank you very much!

***

Parents who are planning to move abroad face a number of initial challenges. To start with there are the stresses that go along with finding a house, setting up a bank account, buying a car and sorting out healthcare. However there is perhaps nothing quite as tricky as setting your children up in a new foreign school.

Emigrating with children often stirs up a variety of feelings within the family. On the one hand there is the excitement of a new climate, a new culture and a whole new land of opportunities, but on the other there is the fear of change – the stresses of which can wreak havoc on a family. It therefore always pays to be prepared, and to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.

Taking your kids away from their friends and teachers whilst they are still at primary and secondary school is a delicate process. It is well know that young children need stability, and to wrench everything away from under their feet is no doubt going to be traumatic. If the new country speaks a foreign language or uses their own national curriculum then this can make the transition even harder on your child, who has to learn to negotiate an entirely new educational system.

For British parents there is the option to keep their child at a British school no matter where they are in the world. The British curriculum, from the key stages up to the GCSE exams, are taught in over 1,000 schools around the world. Cambridge IGCSEs are also taught in many schools, which are the international equivalent of GCSEs and accepted by all higher institutions in the UK.

In order to help parents locate British schools an interactive map was created by Expat & Offshore – an online information resource for expats. The map has over 1,000 primary, secondary and through schools to choose from all over the world. In order to find a school in your host country, click on a star and you will find information on the school’s address, website, phone number, and student population. You can view the map here:

British Schools Abroad

Setting your children up in a school where they feel at ease and have the same educational opportunities as back home is everything a parent could hope for, however there are a number of extra strategies to ensure your child’s move is as tear-free as possible.

If your child is particularly sensitive then you must give them lots of time to get used to the idea of moving. Reading books and researching the new country with your children can help them to build an impression before they arrive so that it doesn’t seem so foreign on arrival. Also getting friends and family to put together something to remember them by before you leave – something like a signed T-shirt or a photo album – gives your child time to let go of their home whilst also allowing them to still feel connected to friends after the move.

Some tips to help your child settle into school even quicker include speaking to their new teachers and informing them of your child’s likes and dislikes, as well as giving them the names of important people in their life. Teachers can then reference these people and make your child feel like they’re still at home.

Moving country is one of the biggest steps a family with young children can take and so it always pays to extensively research your country of destination before the move. There are British schools in almost every country in the world (barring a few in Africa), so parents are likely to find an appropriate school no matter where they are.

Luke Rees

Luke Rees is a travel writer from London who currently writes on behalf of Expat & Offshore.

Belgium:

De Morgen, De Standaard, Gazet van Antwerpen Kempen; Antwerpen Mechelen, Antwerpen Metropool Noord; Antwerpen Metropool Stad; Antwerpen Metropool Zuid; Antwerpen Wass & Dender; Het Belang van Limburg, Het Laatste Nieuws, Het Nieuwsblad,  Metro (Dutch Edition), Metro (French Edition)

The China Daily European Weekly and International Herald Tribune are also listed among the Belgian newspapers.

Germany:

Abendzeitung München, Alt-Neuöttinger Allgemeine, Burghauser Anzeiger, Chemnitzer Morgenpost, Deggendorfer Zeitung, Der Bayerwald-Bote, Der Tagesspiegel, Drednser Morgenpost, Grafenauer Anzeiger, Hamburger Morgenpost, HNA Frankenberger Allgemeine, HNA Fritzlar-Homberger Allgemeine, HNA Hofgeismarer Allgemeine, HNA Kassel-Mitte, HNA Kassel-Nord, HNA-Kassel-Ost, HNA-Kassel Süd, HNA Melsunger Allgemeine, HNA Mündener Allgemeine, HNA Northelmer Neuste Nachrichten, HNA Rotenburg-Bebraer Allgemeine, HNA Schwälmer Allgemeine, HNA Sollinger Allgemeine, HNA Waldeckische Allgemeine, HNA Withenhäuser Allgemeine, HNA Wolfhager Allgemeine, Landauer Neue Presse, Morgenpost am Sonntag (Chemnitz), Morgenpost am Sonntag (Dresden), Osterhofener Zeitung, Passauer Neue Presse (Freyau-Grafenau; Rottaler Zeitung für Pfarrkirchen – Simbacher Nachrichten; Rottaler Zeitung – Niederbayerische Zeitung), Plattlinger Zeitung, Rheinische Post, Rottaler Anzeiger, Viechtacher Bayerwald-Bote, Vilshofener Anzeiger.

Personally, I would find it  great if PressReader could include Die Welt, Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Süddeutsche and other major German newspapers.

France

Air and Cosmos, Air Fan, Aujourd’hui en France, Escalade Mag, Infrarouge, L’Equipe, La Tribune, La Tribune Lyon, La Tribune Hebdomadaire, Le Figaro Magazine, Le Journal du Dimanche, Le Monde, Le Parisien (Essonne; Hauts de Seine; Oise; Paris; Seine et Marne; Seine Saint Denis; Val d’Oise; Val de Marne; Yvelines), Le Revenu – Hebdo Bourse, Le Revenu – Mensuel Place, Madame Figaro, Magazine M, Metro France (Bordeaux; Côte d’Azur; Grande Est; Languedoc; Lille; Paris; Provence; Rhône Alpes; Toulouse).

Italy

Libero, Il Tempo – Nazionale, Il Tempo –Roma, Il Tempo – Abruzzo.

Unfortunately, you don’t find the Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, La Gazzetta dello Sport, La Stampa, Corriere dello Sport, Leggo, Il Messaggero, Il Sole 24 Ore, Tuttosport, il Mattino, La Nazione, Il Tirreno, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, il Giornale, il Giorno etc.

Netherlands

Metro Holland (Amsterdam), Metro Holland (Holland) and Metro Holland (Rotterdam)

Unfortunately you can’t find the Telegraaf, NRC Handelsblad, Algemeen Dagblad, Nederlands Dagblad, de Volkskrant, de Pers, Trouw, Het Financieele Dagblad or Reformatorisch Dagblad nor any other regional or local newspapers.

Switzerland

20 Minuten (Basel; Bern; Luzern, St. Gallen; Zurich), 20 Minuti, Basler Zeitung, Finanz und Wirtschaft,  Neue Zürcher Zeitung, NZZ am Sonntag.

Unfortunately you won’t find the Tagesanzeiger, Berner Zeitung, Der Bund, Neue Luzerner Zeitung, St. Galler Tagblatt, TagesWoche, Tessiner Zeitung, WoZ, Le Matin, 24 Heures, Le Temps, Tribune de Genève or Corriere del Ticino.

You can also find Business Mir and the Herald Tribune among the newspapers for Switzerland.

United Kingdom

Adviser Evolution, Art Wall Magazine, Belfast Telegraph, Blackpool Gazette, Corporate Adviser, Daily Express, Daily Express Weekend, Daily Mail, Daily Star, Daily Star Weekend, Employee Benefits, Evening Express (City Final), Evening Express (Extra Edition), Evening Telegraph (Late Extra), Evening Times, Fund Strategy, Halifax Courier, I (from The Independent), International Herald Tribune, Irish Daily Mail, JC Magazine, Kent Messenger Maidstone, Kentish Express Ashford & District, Kentish Gazette Canterburry and Destrict, Lancashire Evening Post, Late Tackle, Logistics Manager, London Evening Standard, London Evening Standard, Marketing Week, Midweek Sport, Money Marketing, Mortgage Strategy, Northants Evening Telegraph, Process Engineering, Scotland on Sunday, Scottish Daily Mail, Sportcal, Sunday Herald, Sunday Sport, Sunderland Echo, The Church of England, The Courier & Advertiser (several editions), The Cricket Paper, The Football Leage Paper, The Guardian, The Guardian Weekly, The Herald, The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, The Irish Mail on Sunday, The Jewish Chronicle, The Mail on Sunday, The Non-League Paper, The Northampton Chronicle & Echo, The Observer, The Petersborough Evening, The Press and Journal (Aberdeen; Highlands & Islands; Inverness; Moray; North-East), The Rugby Paper, The Scarborough Evening, The Scotsman, The Scottish Mail on Sunday, The Sunday Post (Central Edition; Dundee; Inverness; Newcastle), Weekend Sport, Wigan Evening Post, Yorkshire Post.

You can also find the Magazines that come with some of these newspapers (I didn’t list them up for obvious reasons of space), like the ES (Evening Standard) Homes and Property or all the adds with the Guardian (Cook, Discover Europe, Eastern Horizons, Explore a world of culture, Family, Film and Music, G2 etc.)

In addition to these national newspapers you can also find: China Daily European Weekly, Mann Jitt Weekly, Russian Mind, Russkaya Mysl, The Zimbabwean among the newspapers for the United Kingdom.