Moving To Bali For Your Child's Education

Green School Bali

Last week after a visit to Open Flow Learning Centre in Ubud, I wrote on LinkedIn that more families should consider moving to Indonesia for their child's education.

Why should learning be confined to the four walls of a classroom?

Why are kids asked to conform instead of expressing themselves?

Why do they spend 90% of their time on academics?

Why is learning instructional instead of self-directed?

Why isn't learning connected to the community?

Most importantly, why don't kids play more?

Open Flow is just one of several schools with a place-based, play-based, project-based approach to learning. It's a more authentic and immersive way to learn.

I think it's wonderful.

Imagine yourself when you were a kid. Would you rather be learning in a classroom? Or would you rather be learning here👇 ?

I spoke to several families that have made the move to Bali because they want their child to have the sort of nature-immersed education Open Flow and Green School offer. Here are some practical tips if you are considering moving.

1. Find families that have made the move and ask for advice

There are many online articles on living in Bali etc, but nothing beats being able to ask people who have made the move here, especially folks in a similar situation as you (moving from the same country, kids in the same age group etc).

Join the Worldschoolers In Bali and Worldschooling Bali & Sri Lanka Facebook groups to find expat families with kids living in Bali, pose questions and/or start discussions. Both groups are active and group members are helpful.

2. Visit the school

Most schools offer tours to families considering enrolling their child. To get a proper feel for what the learning environment is like, it's important to visit the school. Ideally bring your child along for the tour. It's your child who will be spending time in the school after all. Let them see for themselves what the school is like. This is especially important for children who are used to traditional classrooms and have never seen an open-air school where classrooms have no walls.

Parents will also get a much better understanding of the school's ethos, philosophy, pedagogy etc by speaking to the people running the school. Not every nature-inspired school is the same. By speaking to the educators at each school, you can choose one that feels right for your child.

3. Overcommunicate with your child during the transition period

As adaptable as kids are, transitions can be challenging, especially when it involves moving to a new country. Parents I spoke to told me how they constantly checked in with their child during and after the move. One family said they may even have indulged their child a little after they first got to Bali, because she was in a completely new environment.

It's important to remember that every child takes to change differently. Some kids make new friends wherever they are. Others take time to warm up to new people, new environment. You know your child best.

4. Be part of the local community

Families that have made the effort to be part of the local community have generally found the transition much easier. There are many ways to get involved. One family I spoke to became actively involved in the parents community at the Green School right after their child started at the school. Another family went out of their way to meet the locals and let them know they want to be a part of the village life.

5. Give your family time

Unless you're a worldschooling family that moves to a new city every six months, it's probably a good idea to give your family time to find your tribe in a new environment. Commit to your child's Bali schooling experiment for at least two to three years.

Sometimes things don't work out right away. But if you have moved thousands of miles to be here, it's a shame to call it quits too early. New friendships, opportunities and experiences await. You just need to give it time.

If this essay resonates, you may want to check out issue 31 of Education & Catastrophe 'We Are The Last Generation', about a Japanese couple running an eco-hotel and raising a family in Ubud.

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Till the next issue!