5 Activities for Homestay Families and Their Guests
Spending time together learning about each other’s cultures is a big part of the homestay experience. Whether you need to break the ice, or fill in your weekend, here are our 5 must-do activities for host families and their students.
1) Local Tours
You’ll probably be used to showing each new student the usual hotspots but wouldn’t it be nice to discover something new, or let someone else do the talking for you? Whether it’s a walking tour around the city’s main attractions or visiting hidden restaurants and bars, you’ll find amazing local tours in Australia’s capital cities and regional towns with different itineraries to suit everyone.
Local Sauce Tours have great options across Australia with a focus on high-quality, small-group experiences that bring together people from all over the world.
- Hidden Sydney – Stories, Food & Coffee
- Newtown Chewtown – Food & Street Art
- Drink & Discover Secret Bar Crawl
2) Cooking Class
What’s that old saying? Food is the ingredient that binds us together. And that is the exact reason a cooking class is near the top of our list. Food (and cooking it) is the best way to bond with your students. We suggest you sit down with your student, plan a menu and make a full three-course meal for each cuisine.
Take the student shopping for the food so they can become familiar with the supermarket at the same time. You’ll introduce them to classic Aussie faves, learn what they love (and don’t love) to eat, plus you’ll get to try some signature dishes from their home country. If you’re looking to step it up a level, go to a cooking class together! Red Balloon is a great website to find one near you.
3) Museums
Museums might not be somewhere you’d usually bother to visit, so it’s the perfect option when you’re hosting homestay students. Learn about Australian history and culture at the Queensland Museum or visit a specialty museum such as The Nostalgia Box in Perth. Either way, they provide an awesome shared learning experience. Museums are also a great winter activity for when it’s too cold to get outside. The exhibitions change regularly as well so you’ll be able to keep this one on your list for years!
4) Sporting Matches
Did you know that being a sports fan is great for your mental health and wellbeing? Why not watch a game or two with your students? Cricket, surfing and Aussie Rules are iconic in Australia and definitely a worthwhile experience for international students. Whether you make it to a local comp or buy tickets to a match in a big stadium, sports provides a fun and exciting atmosphere for people of all ages.
HINT: Google local sports events near me to see what’s on in your area. Most will be free or charge a small fee.
5) Movies and TV Shows
If sports isn’t your thing, try watching movies or TV shows together. It’s free, easy and you don’t have to leave the house! Settle in on the couch with some popcorn and chuck on an iconic Aussie film. We think The Castle should be number one on the list, but if you need some more inspo, here are 45+ Best Aussie Movies of All Time. You could also introduce them to an Australian series like Home & Away or tune in to MasterChef or Lego Masters.
Just like our cooking class we suggest you ask your student for recommendations from their home country. If they can’t think of any, Netflix offers some good options for foreign films and TV shows.
The icing on the cake? Reading subtitles is the perfect way for students to practise their English!
