Would children as young as 5 go abroad to stay with a host family?
Yes, some do indeed, and they enjoy it. Most of our students, however, are between 8 and 12, and up to 14. We are a volunteer association, that works independent from specific schools. We will help you to find the right programme and family to expose young children to the English language – for shorter and longer term.
Most of the English programmes and exchange places we recommend are located in Europe:
Great Britain and Ireland, from 1-2 weeks in a teacher family up to 6-12 months in a regular school.

The earlier you learn a language the easier it is. With Europe growing together, and global work structures to come, there is increasing interest to expose children to other languages, earlier than before.
Language schools and exchange programmes are adapting to this demand for the youngest. They are now offering primary school kids form 6 to 12 a variety of places in host families, summer camps and activity programmes.
The younger the kid, the more natural it picks up another language, just from listening to people around and imitating.

Concepts

Language Immersion

Language immersion is a way of learning a second language, where all activities are in the target language. Immersion programs as known today began in the 1960s in Canada.
Classified by age, Early immersion students begin the second language from the age of 5-7, Middle immersion students begin at the age of 8-10. After this age the programme is considered Late immersion.
It has been proven that Immersion programmes have no negative effects on spoken skills in the first language.

Too young?

We are asked this very often. While everybody agrees that it cannot be too early to learn another language, in particular in a playful way as young children do, the question is if they are mature enough to travel?
The surprising fact is that younger children adapt even more easily to the new situation than Teenagers!
The Teens often see a language trip as the big freedom to be away from their parents, causing the obvious problems to their hosts and themselves.
For the typical, open-minded nine-year-old, the situation itself is the adventure, trusting the host family without problems.
But, will they be understood if they have a problem? There are some places with a multilingual host available, and translators as backup. However, for everyday situations the kids are clever enough to express their basic needs, with hands and feet if necessary. Remember, they did well without words as a baby – so there are even less problems in this age.

Cocooning: Safe Places

The younger students’ needs for particular affectionate family attention have been recognised by the language schools.
The concept of Cocooning guarantees availability of a responsible adult at any time day or night, accompanied travel to all daily activities – generally speaking a perfect supervision chain without gaps.

Groups and Siblings?

While courses for groups from a single nationality are easily arranged, and provide good business for the language schools, they are less effective in language learning, since the children are tempted too much to talk to each other in their own language. The same problem have siblings staying in the same host family. Most language schools arrange groups in courses multi-nationally, and place no more than one student of the same nationality in the same host family.

Accommodation

Host Families

Almost 90% of the young children stay with a host family, between a week for vacation, while attending languages or activity programmes, or for going to a regular school for 6 months.
Many families care for guest children on a regular basis. Quality is monitored strictly.

Teacher Families

As a special form of host families, Teacher families provide a continuous learning environment, with a skilled ear for difficulties a student has with the language, and pedagogic talent to guide and correct unobtrusively.
Just to hear the right form when the teacher answers a question is enough for most students to memorize it and use it sooner or later themselves. The teachers also provide TLA or CTP type programmes, see below.

Mutual Family Exchange

To swap children between two families in two countries, simultaneously or sequentially, for a vacation period or up to 6 months during school term is a very effective way, resulting in long-lasting friendships.
However, due to the high interest in the English language such reciprocal places are very limited.

Boarding Schools

Boarding Schools provide residential accommodation either to attend private regular schools during terms, or language schools in the summer period.
They typically provide bedrooms for 2-3 students, and appropriate supervision.

Summer Camps

Camps provide comprehensive sports, cultural and recreational programmes, with mostly hostel style accommodation.

Building Blocks

Spending some vacation time in a host family already provides lots of new impressions, and language immersion, and can be booked on its own. But of course, there is more:

Activity and Sport Programmes (ASP)

When doing an exciting activity, such as learning a new sport, exploring a real castle, or caring for young animals on a farm, the language is acquired almost automatically.
ASPs are the most enjoying vacation activities for the children, with climbing, orienteering, mountaineering, swimming, surfing as well as excursions – and most rewarding in persistent language.

English in a Teachers Home (ETH)

Living with a teacher, the tuition starts at the breakfast table – without feeling so. It is the highest quality of the immersion concept.
Teachers accept students mostly during their college breaks or maternity leave. ETH programmes typically have some formal tuition hours with 1-2 students.

Teacher Lead Activities (TLA)

Combining the joyful activities with the quality of a language teacher supervising them, TLAs are either based on family activities, or linked to the ASP concept.

Course Tuition Programmes (CTP)

The classroom based courses are a traditional form of language learning. Depending on the particular school, the number of formal tuition hours can be chosen between 10-20 per week, the afternoons filled with activities.
All aspects of English are covered: listening, speaking, reading and writing, communicating.

Schools (SCH)

Attending a regular school for 6 or 12 months is a traditional way to visit a country for student and now possible for primary school ages as well.
Privately funded schools charge fees, publicly funded schools can be free for EU nationals, if places are available.
Some schools offer a place for 4 weeks in June, in the relaxed period before summer vacations.

Structured Learning Programmes (SLP)

There are specialised courses, focusing on children with learning difficulties and motivation deficits.
With a stricter framework of scheduling the day and the lessons, they help children with short attention spans.

Safe Travel

Airlines

Actually, it is safer for a young child to fly alone on a plane than to take the bus to school at home!
Most airlines offer fully escorted services for their young passengers between 5 and 12 years (called unaccompanied minors), handing them over to the authorised person only.

Transfer

Programme attendees using the airline services are met in the airport by the host family or a school representative. Of course, parents can also bring their kids themselves.

Commuting

Particular care is taken to safely transport the younger children between accommodation and courses. Typically, kids enrolled with the cocooning option are accompanied on all their ways.

Cost and Funding

Beside the cost of travelling itself, fees can start at Zero, e.g. for mutual exchange and attending regular schools.
Course prices vary severely depending on what kind of tuition and activities they offer, in the range of €100/week for meals in the host family - up to €1500 for all-comprehensive adventure programmes.

Scholarships and Sponsoring

A variety of sponsorships can help to reduce the cost. Stipends are available from the EU within the European Language Label framework and national bodies. Of the 1037 projects in this database, 258 address primary education.
Some programmes receive industry sponsorship to support children coming from low-income or single-parent families as well as the new EU member states.
Some language schools also offer promotional places for clients from new regions.

What we do

Within this complex area, we provide individual advice, and assist you to find a place matching the age, the interest and the capabilities of the child, from our database of programmes and host families.
As volunteers, we do not charge students any fees for our advice.

English.K12

Association for Primary School Children Language Arrangements