Living in Portugal with Children

It’s a well known fact that the Portuguese love children – outside observers will sometimes comment that Portuguese parents and grandparents seem to spoil their children, indulging them and mollycoddling them just a little too much - but in actual fact the Portuguese are like many in the Mediterranean region as well, they just value all children very highly, and naturally have fairly child-centric lives.

If you’re considering living in Portugal and you have children, in many ways you’ll find your life is easier than those who relocate without family because more people will approach you to be friends, you’ll receive many more invitations to social events and children usually learn the language far quicker than you which can be highly advantageous!  In this article we look at the realities and practicalities associated with moving to Portugal with the kids in tow.

If your children are of school age the most important thing you will need to determine even before you begin packing for your move to Portugal is whether you’re going to educate them in the state schools or put them through a private, international school.

State schools are free, they teach in Portuguese and for very young children in families who are intending on residing in Portugal for at least the foreseeable future, these can be the best bet as the child in question, if below the age of about 8 or 9 will pick up the language, integrate with the local community far more quickly and deeply, and make local friends and get to understand and enjoy local customs and culture.

International private schools are to be found in abundance in Portugal and are the ideal solution for families with older children who will find it harder to pick up Portuguese and who are approaching their critical examination years.  They also make sense if you’re living in Portugal only for a few years as you can probably find an international school teaching the curriculum your child is already used to, thus providing them with the educational continuity that they require.

The disadvantages of sending your child to an international school include the expense and the fact that your child may never master the language and therefore fail to make local friends.

There are a whole host of international schools in Portugal to choose from, the British Embassy in Lisbon has a list and it lays them out in location order covering Lisbon, Porto, Madeira and the Algarve.

In terms of the social life that your children will enjoy in Portugal, because the climate is so temperate and the country is so safe and relatively free of crime, children spend a great deal of time outdoors with their friends.  In the summer the beaches are packed and in the winter in the most populated areas there are plenty of activities from bowling to the cinema, from karting to socializing in cafes.

You can certainly give your children a better quality of life if you move to live in Portugal – especially if you’re relocating from an inner city or densely populated area to a part of Portugal where the air is clean, the beaches are accessible, the food is fresh and the emphasis is on outdoor play rather than on sitting indoors watching the TV or playing on games consoles. 

So if you dream of one day moving to Portugal, why not make that one day come sooner rather than later and give your children a really exciting start to life.