Mama in Nederland is a course inspired by my own experience as a Dutch mum living abroad, learning a new language while navigating motherhood. It supports you through every stage of motherhood, from pregnancy to the high school years, combining practical Dutch language skills with cultural insights. The course is flexible and can be taken in 10-hour blocks, allowing you to learn at your own pace.

This course is for international mums living in the Netherlands with children aged 0–18 who would like to use Dutch in common parenting situations. It’s ideal if you already have a basic level of Dutch and want to build on what you know in a way that connects to your role as a parent. Please note, it’s not designed for absolute beginners.

Yes, this course is for people with a basic to intermediate level of Dutch.

It’s suitable if you can already understand and use some Dutch, even if speaking still feels a bit uncertain.

The groups are small, so there is plenty of space to practise, build ease, and grow from wherever you are starting.

The course is taught by Emma, a Dutch teacher who is currently raising her child abroad while learning another language herself and navigating motherhood in a different culture.

She has a background in intercultural communication and has worked as a university lecturer. Her experience brings together language learning and the real challenges of parenting across cultures, which is at the heart of this course.

This course focuses on the language you need in common parenting situations, while also exploring the parenting context behind it. You practise through roleplay and story building, so language is always learned in realistic situations.

You’ll work on speaking with your children’s friends and classmates, and on supporting positive social interactions in Dutch. We also cover communication with teachers, including conversations about your child’s development, needs, and wellbeing at school.

You are encouraged to bring your own parenting situations to class. This way, the course becomes directly relevant to your daily life and you benefit most from what we practise together

Recurring topics are:

• Talking with teachers and childcare staff

• Arranging and guiding playdates and sleepovers

• Visiting the doctor

• Taking turns and sharing

• Playing too rough and setting boundaries

• Discussing behaviour such as biting and hitting.

• Talking about exclusion, bullying at school or the playground

• Communicating with parents-in-law in family situations

• Understanding Dutch parenting norms

Groups are limited to just 4 mothers, so you get plenty of speaking time and personal attention.

The course is offered in 10-hour blocks and can be followed in two formats:

• Over 4 weeks, with two sessions per week

• Over 8 weeks, with one session per week
  

Each 10-hour block explores new themes and situations, while also including repetition to help you become more familiar with the language and feel more comfortable using it. The blocks can be taken multiple times, with new content introduced each time so you can continue building your Dutch step by step at your own pace.

The course is held online, so you can join from home.

Mothers in the group may not all be at exactly the same level, and that’s completely fine. The focus is on using Dutch in real parenting situations, not on perfect grammar. You can participate at your own level while still learning from others. The small group size also means you always get personal guidance when needed.

The summer intensive is €320 for a 10-hour block. This includes all materials, whatsApp support and guided practice throughout the sessions.

I understand that life with children can be unpredictable. If you know in advance that you can’t attend a session, we can look at options to make it up at another time.

Yes. If you prefer fully personalised support, you can also choose private Dutch classes. These sessions are tailored entirely to your situation, your pace, and the parenting or daily life topics you want to focus on most. You can contact me to learn about availability