Much has been written about the benefits of living in a foreign culture and learning a foreign language.
But have you ever considered the advantages of sending your young child NOW and letting him or her stay with friends or family? If you have a child age 11 or older, it could be the perfect time for this life-changing experience. It could possibly be better timing than in college. Not only that, but you don’t have to pay an international exchange organization multiple thousands of dollars to make it happen! For the smart do-it-yourselfer, an entire month abroad can cost less than two weeks of lacrosse camp! (Don’t have family or friends abroad with a child around the same age as yours?)
Benefits of Time Abroad During Childhood
- A huge boost in self-confidence as your child learns she can adapt to a completely novel environment.
- A landmark, lifetime memory gives your child pride and a major accomplishment that he can talk about at school. A child who spent the summer in France or Argentina will receive much more attention and interest, compared to one who went to basketball camp. And if the child took the trip ALONE, he will get serious respect from his peers.
- Immersion is by far the best way to learn a language, and there is no better way to do it than in a family setting. Since your child will not be in a structured study abroad program, she will not be part of a group of Americans. The students from these programs tend to hang together and not truly enter the new culture. Your child will have no access to an ex-pat community and her immersion will be total. Being so young, she will participate in family activities every time they occur.
- Money-savings. Compared to the $18,0001 to $32,0002 it costs for one college semester, it’s possible to send your child to another country for the cost of a flight and souvenirs. This assumes that you find a like-minded family in the target culture who would then send their child to you for the same time-frame and you will provide for all of his needs and activities.
Continue reading “Sending Your Minor Child on a Trip Abroad”
Learning a second language is thought to be exceptionally difficult. This does not have to be the case! As a tutor of many years, something that always strikes me when I tutor languages is just how much simpler language learning is compared to other subjects I tutor, such as reading, or Language Arts. A major component of Spanish, French, or any other world language is vocabulary. And vocabulary is easy!
a three-part series on sending young children abroad. If you’re just joining in, you may want to check out the first two parts:
