India Essentials
India EssentialsSettling in
Guide 23 · Settling in

My move to India

A small, gentle guide for a big family move. Read it together before the boxes arrive, on landing day, and whenever a new place feels like a lot.

6little chapters1honest grown-up plan
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Moving countries is a grown-up job, but the move belongs to children too. My Move to India is a small, gentle page to read together before the boxes arrive, on landing day, and whenever a new place feels like a lot. A child does not need every answer at once. They need one safe grown-up, one next step, and room to tell the truth.

Read this together
There is no right way to feel about a move. Excited, worried, curious, cross, proud, homesick, or all of those in one afternoon are all allowed. This is a co-reading prompt, not a childcare, safety, medical, or school-admissions guide. The grown-up reading with you makes the real plan.
My move story

Six little chapters

Pick one card at a time. Let the child draw, point, ask, or skip. The best answer is the honest one you can give today. If an answer is not known yet, say that clearly and name who will find out.

01Before we go

I pack one thing that feels like me

My small thought: A favourite book, soft toy, photo, game, or song can travel with me. Some familiar things can come along even when the room changes.

I can

  1. Choose one comfort thing and one thing I want to show someone in India.
  2. Ask what will stay the same: my people, bedtime, language, food, or weekend call.
  3. Draw a picture of the old home and the new home on the same page.
Grown-up note: Answer what is known. Do not promise a school, home, room, friendship, or date until it is actually confirmed.
“What is one thing you want to bring into our new story?”
For Your Partner & FamilyPre-Arrival Countdown
02Landing day

I stay close while the world is new

My small thought: Airports, cars, sounds, signs, and tired bodies can make a day feel very big. I can stay with my grown-up and take the next small step.

I can

  1. Keep the agreed grown-up and emergency contact details where I can find them.
  2. Say “I need a break”, “I am lost”, or “I do not feel well” as soon as I notice it.
  3. Choose one quiet activity for the journey and one familiar routine for arrival.
Grown-up note: Make the real meeting point, travel, supervision, and care plan with the adults responsible for the child.
“If we get separated, who is my safe grown-up and where do we meet?”
Your Airport TransferYour Emergency Card
03Our new home

I find my three safe places

My small thought: A new home becomes easier when I know where I can rest, who I can ask, and how to get back to the people looking after me.

I can

  1. Find a calm corner, the bathroom, and the way to the main door with a grown-up.
  2. Learn the home address and the names of the adults who can help me.
  3. Point out one thing I like and one thing I want an adult to explain.
Grown-up note: Walk the home and building rules together. Keep keys, access, visitor, balcony, water, electrical, and lift decisions with responsible adults.
“Can we make a little map of our new home together?”
Setting Up Your HomeTenant Duties
04School and friends

I start with one hello

My small thought: A new school or class can feel like a whole crowd. I do not need to know everyone on the first day. One hello, one question, or one familiar adult is a beginning.

I can

  1. Ask who my safe adult is at school and how I ask for help.
  2. Keep one simple introduction ready: “Hi, I am new here.”
  3. Tell my grown-up what felt easy, what felt hard, and what is still unknown.
Grown-up note: School place, transport, curriculum, fees, and start dates are separate decisions. Share only what the school or consultant has actually confirmed.
“Who can I go to if I need help before I know everyone?”
Schools & AdmissionsFor Your Partner & Family
05Big feelings

I can miss home and still find home

My small thought: Missing people, places, food, weather, pets, words, or old routines is a real part of the story. Feelings can change without needing to be fixed immediately.

I can

  1. Tell a trusted grown-up the true feeling, even if it sounds messy.
  2. Keep one small old-home ritual and make one small new-home ritual.
  3. Use drawing, music, movement, a voice note, or a call to show what words cannot yet say.
Grown-up note: Listen before solving. If a child may be unsafe, very unwell, or needs specialist support, use the appropriate responsible adult and professional route.
“Do you want a hug, a quiet minute, a call, or help with the next thing?”
For Your Partner & FamilyHealthcare in India
06Exploring India

I notice one new thing

My small thought: A new place can be full of colour, food, sounds, words, weather, festivals, animals, and ways of doing everyday things. I can be curious and careful at the same time.

I can

  1. Choose one new thing to notice, draw, taste, hear, or ask about with my grown-up.
  2. Ask before touching, eating, entering, photographing, or joining in.
  3. Keep my own boundaries: “No thank you”, “Please stop”, and “I need my grown-up.”
Grown-up note: Curiosity needs context. The adult decides what is safe, appropriate, accessible, and welcome for this child and this place.
“What did you notice today that you want to remember?”
Festivals & SeasonsIndia, A-Z
My little plan

Four things I can keep close

My move card

My people: the grown-up I can tell, the grown-up who can collect me, and the person who can answer questions
My places: home, school or activity, and one agreed meeting place
My words: “I need help”, “I am lost”, “I do not feel well”, and “Please stop”
My question: one thing I want a grown-up to find out, without pretending we know it already
For the grown-up

Make room for the real story

Say what is known, pending, or still being checked. A child can handle an honest “we do not know yet” better than a promise that changes later.
Keep adult paperwork, school decisions, transport, access, health, and emergency planning with the responsible adults.
Give the child a small choice whenever possible: which object travels, which routine stays, which question gets answered first.

A big move can become a collection of small, safe beginnings. Read one card, ask one question, and let tomorrow add the next page.

Your IKAN Relocations team
ikan.com · enquiry@ikan.com · +91 11 4049 0000
This is a co-reading guide for families. It is not childcare, safety, medical, mental health, school-admissions, legal, immigration, or tax advice. The responsible adults choose the actual plan for the child, and professional help should be used when the facts require it. This guide is web-first and makes no claim that the downloadable pack has already been rebuilt.