Tips for Living with a Host Family

Dos

The sky’s the limit when you ask how to interact with children to help them learn a language.
Rule number one: it should be fun and not feel like a mandated, required class. Make it fun!
Make bubbles, paint, go for a walk, tell stories and jokes, read books, watch a movie (occasionally), and be creative in your activities!
These kids often have very intense schedules! Let English be a fun time, not another pressure-filled activity.

Anyone, even (and especially) a young child can feel when you’re being sincere and when you’re faking it
Believe it or not, the majority of the time, they will know when you’re having fun with them and when you consider it a chore to be with them
So relax and have fun!
Ask them questions about them, open up and tell them about yourself
Think of your time with them as a learning and growing experience (for them and for you!) and it will be much more enjoyable for both of you

Repeated feedback from host families is they would like Travelers to talk more
The host family’s main goals are to help their children:
- Improve English speaking skills
- Be exposed to another culture
You can help them do both by talking, talking, talking, all the time
Good ways to ensure a lot of talking:
- Have a plethora of stories (both fictional and from your personal life) that you can tell over and over again
- Do an activity with the child(ren) and narrate what you’re doing
- Ask them a lot of questions and talk about their answers and ideas (‘what if’ scenarios are fun to do here)

Helping children learn English doesn’t need to be intense or even charted
If they are having trouble with certain sounds, words, or phrases, be patient
Even native speakers take a few years to learn their own language (heck, it took Einstein four!)
So be patient and kind in your corrections
If the child is making a mistake, just repeat the phrase in the correct way without pointing out their mistake
- For example:
  Child: It go like this. [Incorrect]
  Traveler: Oh, it goes like this? [Correct]
- Doing this will help them naturally correct their speech without making English a negative experience
In your own mind or in a private notebook, keep track of how well the child is progressing in their speech
If they’re having trouble with a difficult sound like ‘th,’ make note of it and chart their progress

Kids will be kids; they will probably do something annoying or unfriendly at some point
Depending on their maturity, this could include running away, screaming, or simply being irritating
Whenever this happens, remember to be the bigger person
If you need to, take a break from the situation
Talk to the parents about misbehavior from the perspective of we
- I.e. “[Child] is very good at [note a positive]. However, I noticed that [Child] acted in this way in this situation [describe]…How can I help him/her act more calmly in those situations? What works for you?”
- Come up with a plan together of how to handle the behavior
- Stay in touch with your program director about these situations
- Work through problems with the long-term in mind
If the child physically hits you or hurts you, tell Rome Abroad right away

Saying thank you goes a long way — in the program and in life generally
Those two words, when spoken sincerely, can make the difference between a positive experience and a negative one
We bet you can remember a time when you did something nice for someone and it didn’t even cross their mind to say a simple thanks — and we’re sure you can also think of a time when someone went out of their way to tell you thank you.