Dutch for Children

Understanding the Dutch school system can feel overwhelming when you first move to the Netherlands.

What exactly are vmbo, havo and vwo?
How does secondary school work?
And what does this mean for your child’s future?

To help expat families navigate these questions, I wrote a complete guide explaining the Dutch secondary education system in clear and practical terms.

In the article, you will learn:

• how secondary school is structured
• the difference between vmbo, havo and vwo
• what bilingual education means
• how children move between school levels

If you are an international parent trying to understand how school works here, this guide will help you see the bigger picture.

Read the full guide here: https://dutchforchildren.nl/dutch-secondary-education-system/

🌷 Spring in the Netherlands means tulips!

From 19 March to 10 May, the world-famous Keukenhof is open again.

For international families, this is not only a beautiful place to visit — it’s also a fun opportunity for children to experience Dutch language and culture.

Try these small language moments during your visit:

🌷 Count tulips in Dutch
🎨 Name the colours you see
🚲 Spot Dutch symbols like bikes and windmills
📸 Take photos and let your child describe them afterwards

Learning a language becomes easier when it is connected to real experiences.

And a field full of tulips is about as Dutch as it gets.

Spring has officially arrivedand so has our Easter blog! 🌷✨

Discover fun and meaningful Easter activities for children that help build Dutch vocabulary and cultural understanding. Perfect for expat families and kids learning Dutch!

👉 Read here: dutchforchildren.nl/easter-activities-for-children/

🎙 New podcast episode: Raising multilingual children abroad

Many international parents wonder whether their child will maintain their home language while growing up abroad.

In the newest episode of the Praat Nederlands met me podcast, I speak with Franca, a Dutch mother who raised her daughter between the Netherlands, London and France.

Today her daughter speaks Dutch, English and French fluently.

What makes this story particularly interesting is that there was no strict language strategy and no formal Dutch lessons. Instead, the family focused on something simple but powerful: consistency and connection.

In our conversation, we discuss:
• raising multilingual children in an international environment
• identity and belonging across cultures
• emotional moments parents experience when moving abroad
• what parents often underestimate about multilingual upbringing

For families living abroad or returning to the Netherlands, this episode offers honest reflections and a long-term perspective.

🎧 Listen to the new episode of Praat Nederlands met me here: https://app.springcast.fm/21274/raising-multilingual-children-abroad-a-dutch-familys-journey-from-london-to-france

Moving to the Netherlands with children?

One of the biggest questions expat parents ask is:
How can my child learn Dutch in a way that feels natural and fun?

At Dutch for Children, we help international children learn Dutch in a way that fits their lives.

✔ Tailor-made lessons
✔ Experienced native Dutch teachers
✔ Flexible online learning
✔ Practical language your child can use at school and with friends

Our goal is simple: helping children feel confident, included, and truly at home in the Netherlands.

Curious about the story behind Dutch for Children and how we support expat families?

👉 Read more here: https://dutchforchildren.nl/about-dutch-for-children/

Doorstroomtoets 2026 Results Are Being Released – What Do They Really Mean?

If your child received the Doorstroomtoets results this week or will receive them next week, you might be looking at numbers, reference levels and advice ranges. Before you panic — or celebrate — here is what you should know:
• The final school advice is legally leading�
• The test is mainly a confirmation�
• Only higher scores may trigger reconsideration

We explain everything clearly here:�https://dutchforchildren.nl/doorstroomtoets-2026-results/

Reading about celebrations around the world. Stories are one of the most powerful ways for children to learn a language.

Especially when those stories connect to traditions and celebrations that children recognise.

Books like Fien & Teun Celebrate introduce young readers to different holidays and traditions in a playful and accessible way: from Easter and Animal Day to Eid al-Fitr and many other celebrations. For international families, this kind of storytelling is wonderful for two reasons.

First, children develop Dutch vocabulary and reading skills through stories.
Second, they see that celebrations and traditions can be different around the world, something many expat children experience in their own lives.

Reading together about holidays is also a simple way to create meaningful conversations with your child:

• What do we celebrate in our family?
• Which traditions are the same or different?
• What words do we use for these celebrations in Dutch?

Language learning becomes much richer when it connects to culture, family life and shared experiences. Because in the end, learning a language is not only about words, it is about understanding the world.

🎙 New podcast episode live!

What happens when a child grows up between three countries and three languages?

In the newest episode of Praat Nederlands met me, I speak with Franca, a Dutch mother who raised her daughter between the Netherlands, London and France.

Today her daughter is 23 and speaks Dutch, English and French fluently.

What makes this story so interesting?
There was no strict language strategy.
No formal Dutch lessons.

Instead, Franca consistently spoke Dutch with her daughter for more than twenty years.

In this episode, we talk about:
• raising multilingual children abroad
• identity and belonging between cultures
• emotional moments parents experience
• why consistency matters more than the perfect language plan

If you are raising your child abroad and wondering how to keep Dutch alive, this episode will feel very familiar.

🎧 Listen now to the newest episode of
Praat Nederlands met me

Link in bio or direct: https://app.springcast.fm/21274/raising-multilingual-children-abroad-a-dutch-familys-journey-from-london-to-france