6 Fun After School Activities for Host Families and Au Pairs

All across the country children are returning to school. As the air turns crisp and leaves change colors, host families and their au pairs are often at a loss for interesting and fun things to keep the children engaged after school. Here are six fun ideas for after school activities.

1. Head Outside

After being kept inside for most of the school day, children need time to get outdoors and get their blood moving. Weather permitting, playing outside is a great way to burn off steam after a long day. Consider taking your host siblings to the park or sign up for a community sports team.

2. Visit Local Area Attractions

Nearly every city will have at least one attraction worth visiting, such as a bowling alley, roller rink, or laser tag venue. These are generally inexpensive and can provide hours of safe enjoyment.

3. Play a Trivia Game

Every year or so game companies develop new trivia games rich with cultural and educational tidbits. This makes them perfect for after school, as they are helpful to children and au pairs as well! Just ensure the board game is age-appropriate.

4. Search Out Educational Establishments

When families decide to host an au pair, they are advised to make a list of nearby attractions their au pair may enjoy or benefit from. These may include zoos, museums, exhibits, science centers or community groups. Not only do these make great resources for au pairs to expand their cultural understanding, but they also make great after school activities for children.

5. Get Crafty

Arts and crafts have long been the go-to for keeping young children occupied and with the excess of affordable options and resource information available today, it has never been easier to set up a craft station for children.

6. Shake Up the Family Meal

One of the key benefits to being a host family or au pair, is the ability to expand on your current cultural knowledge, so why not involve the children in the meal preparation. Have one meal a week from a different country and introduce children to all the different flavors of the world!

For more ideas on how to keep host siblings engaged after school, please contact your local community counselor. To learn more about how to host an au pair, please contact the friendly staff at EurAupair today!