Many times, students see English as just one school subject among many. Which is a shame ! Indeed, English is much more than a simple course at school: it is above all a living language, which makes it possible to discuss with foreign people, to travel, to access more culture, etc. For all these reasons, it is therefore in your child’s interest to see English as a useful everyday language, rather than as homework to be done under duress. And even in the summer, he must stay motivated to practice his English. These 5 tips should help:
A first way to practice English in a relaxed and unconstrained way is to chat with a foreign correspondent. It can be a young English speaker who will help your child progress, or even a foreigner who speaks a completely different language and wants to progress in English too.
Their exchanges can be done in writing and/or orally, allowing them to vary their practice. The advantage is that current communication tools greatly facilitate exchanges around the world! And during the summer holidays, correspondents can even organize a little face-to-face meeting.
A second idea is to spend some time with an English host family in France or Great Britain. Thanks to a site like https://www.dailyenglish.fr/, you have access to many hand-picked English-speaking host families. They take care of the young people entrusted to them, and the latter enjoy many activities throughout their stay.
This way, they are totally immersed in an English-speaking environment. They then practice their English in a natural and fun way, while enriching their culture and their open-mindedness. It’s a fantastic human experience, which should motivate your child to speak English this summer!
Then, why not work on your English as a family? Instead of going alone, your child might enjoy traveling with your whole family to an English-speaking country. This will allow you to create beautiful shared memories, while improving your practice of the language of Shakespeare.
For even more fun, you can even challenge yourself: the whole family must only speak English for the duration of the stay. And anyone who gives in to the temptation to speak French has a pledge. Such a challenge will be stimulating for everyone, including your child who will be even more motivated to speak English! So, will you play the game?
If your teenager is old enough, you can also suggest that they get a summer job in English. In French tourist areas, restaurants always need waiters who can speak English. This would be an opportunity for your child to earn some money, to work on his English in a natural way and to enjoy a pleasant environment during his free time.
An alternative is to go abroad to take up the same kind of student job, or even to work as an au pair.
Finally, another option is to join a club that speaks English. Especially if you live in the city, chances are such groups already exist. So find out about finding a club around a theme that appeals to your child. It can be a chess club, a music or sports club, a book group, a cinema, etc.
The most important thing is to combine a passion with the practice of English. Surrounded by like-minded people, your child will be more likely to chat, even if it’s not in their native language.
Especially if your child has good results in English at school, you can quite easily offer them these different activities this summer. He can even accumulate several: the main thing is that he progresses while having fun!