For language au pairs making use of a gap year or career break, enjoying real cultural immersion and even learning a new language yourself is all a part of the experience. You’ll also play a vital and rewarding role in teaching your host family conversational skills in your native language.
Whilst no formal qualifications are required, you’ll get to play teacher and enrich the lives of the local family you’re living with. You’ll have the opportunity to develop some informal language teaching experience as a result.
The key to being a successful language au pair has to be adding the fun factor to your informal lessons. But as the saying goes “practice makes perfect,” and this couldn’t be truer when teaching your host family a new language.
Making language practice sessions fun is beneficial for all involved. As recent research proves that fun improves learning and memory. It also helps to keep learners motivated and enthused to learn even more as Multilingual Living details:
“Remember what I said above about motivation and pain? Well, the more fun it is, the more motivation you’ll have to do it and the less effort (pain!) that will be required and the less boredom (pain!) you’ll have to endure: making it fun simultaneously increases your motivation pile and reduces your pain pile, if that makes sense.”
Boredom is a language learner’s worst enemy. Here are just a few ways to make your practice sessions fun so you can keep your host family excited about language learning.
Get chatting with the family
The best way to improve your host family’s conversational skills is by (yes, you guessed it!) having conversations.
Think of fun conversation topics to cover to keep your host family fully engaged in learning. By simply speaking to each other regularly, you can demonstrate an authentic and practical use of vocabulary.
You’ll also provide a better understanding of the language and wider culture with every interaction. Conversation is an easy way to get to grips with a new language in a fun and natural way.
Entertainment (i.e. music, movies, TV shows, and books), friends and family, interests and goals are all great conversation starters. Thinking a little bigger and exploring topics and questions about the universe, travel and experiences will provide endless inspiration for chit-chat too.
Yes, you’re the guest, but because you’re teaching your language you need to be prepared to make the first move and start conversations.
Find further inspiration for personalising language lessons.
Be supportive at the right time
While it’s important to make language learning fun, you’re also there to help your host family develop a skill that they can rely on long after your stay has come to an end.
As a language au pair, you’ll take on a supportive role within the host family. Support them in their learning by gauging how much you should correct mistakes and when.
If they are more advanced at speaking, more corrections may be appropriate. However, if they are less advanced, it’s usually best not to correct every mistake in the moment because it can reduce the flow of conversation and confidence.
Especially if a more detailed explanation is required. It may be better to make a mental note and pick some things up later.
Prepare for long term learning
Your language learning sessions may not be based on formal teaching styles but it helps to be prepared. There are a number of great resources that you can use to enrich the language learning experience.
These resources will also help your host family continue their practice sessions after you’re finished for the day or once you’ve headed home.
Language books, apps, online programs, games, and activities can all be gathered or prepared beforehand so use them to your advantage.
Sharing your favourite TV shows and cartoons from back home with your host family is another great way to immerse them into your language and culture.
Have the night off together
Practice by not practising and enjoy a night off together in front of the TV. Films and TV shows are easily accessible and enjoyable. They help you share the joys of your language and make informal practice sessions fun.
Pick a film or TV show in the target language and switch on subtitles in the same language. Subtitles are a great reference point for specific words and phrases that your host family may want to look further into or ask you about for clarity.
If your host family is more into music, the same principle can be applied. Listen to music together and even go through the lyrics to improve understanding and pronunciation.
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