Shyness is a common emotion amongst homestay guests. Being in a different country, experiencing a new culture, while communicating in a foreign language is after all exciting yet daunting. But as a homestay host or teacher you have the power to make a difference.
The activities you incorporate into your homestay experience are designed to make language learning and cultural exploration fun. And there are many activities you can use to specifically help your guests overcome shyness and homesickness..
Here we explore just a few so you can deliver an amazing, immersive and interactive homestay that your shyer guests will cherish for years to come.
Bring out the board games
Board games are the ultimate icebreaker. They’re an excellent way to work on communication and emotions all while shifting the focus off them. Talking to other players and taking turns all helps to bring shy people of all ages out of their shells.
Playing a game with a shy guest is essentially a great way to get to know them. You’ll discover a lot more about them than you may expect as gaming expert Meeple Mountain explains:
“...you can learn a lot about a person based on their in-game choices. Are they thoughtful and cautious? Are they cut-throat and vicious? Do they play their best game, even when it’s obvious they will not win?”
You can use this insight into your guest’s personality to your advantage, not just during game play, but for the remainder of their stay.
Go hiking for the day
There are of course different types of shyness. But even the most confident person can be swayed into shyness due to a new environment and a lack of home comforts. Especially if it’s their first homestay abroad.
Guide your guests through their shyness by exploring their new surroundings together. As a homestay host or teacher, you are the best guide for your local area. And spending time outdoors in nature is the perfect stress reliever for calming a busy mind.
Visit the local cinema
To help your guests overcome shyness, sometimes it’s better to say nothing at all! Enjoying a film together is a great bonding experience that requires very little verbal communication. Especially useful for taking the pressure off if speaking in their target language is overwhelming for your guest.
It’s likely to be an activity they participate in at home too. So organising a cinema trip will add a home comfort to your homestay .
Cook together
Food is the way to many people’s hearts. With this in mind, cooking is an excellent activity to establish and improve the bond you have with shy guests.
As well as working together towards the shared enjoyment of eating, cooking is fun, engaging and relies on communication. Whether you choose to prepare a dish from your favourite cuisine or theirs, cooking together is all about chatting, relaxing and getting to know each other. Cooking also requires lots of teamwork, so establish that team spirit early by heading to the kitchen.
Try something new
Throw yourself into the deep end by trying something new together. The shared experience of doing something new will give all involved the sense of acceptance and belonging that everyone wants to feel. By making your guests feel a part of the family, they can become one step closer to overcoming shyness and becoming a more confident language learner.
Do something they’re good at
Let your guest turn teacher by giving them the opportunity to do something they’re good at. Choosing an activity that they love and can truly lose themselves in will up their confidence levels no end. It’s also a great stress reliever.
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