How to Teach Your Kids French at Home
Want to know how to teach your kids French at home? Get tips, resources, links, and everything you need to help your child speak French.
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I. Why should you teach your kids French?II. How to Teach Your Kids FrenchIII. ConclusionWondering how to teach your kids French at home? Or maybe learn French along with your child? Sounds like a great plan and I’m here to help!
Whether you want your child to reconnect with French roots or simply to raise him/her as bilingual, this article will help you reach that goal.
Check out these French for kids resources and learning strategies!
Before anything else, let’s talk about the reasons why your child should learn French and why it’s a good idea to share the experience with them.
I. Why should you teach your kids French?
There are a lot of benefits to being bilingual, but here are some of the specific reasons that make a good case for teaching French to your kid.
- Children’s minds are more receptive to learning a new language so it will be easier for them to learn French while they’re still young.
- It will help them appreciate culture and connect to their cultural background. Some parents who are partly French might want their kids to get in touch with their roots—learning French is a great way to do that. But even if you do not have any French blood in you, it would still be a good way for your kids to be exposed to French culture.
- It’s a perfect chance to bond with your child. Whether you already know how to speak French or you’re planning to learn together with your kid, the time spent learning together is a priceless bonding activity.
- It can help children consider other people’s perspectives. Research on young children suggests that exposure to more than one language can help them interpret a speaker’s intended meaning. That is a specific communication benefit, rather than proof that every bilingual child has higher emotional intelligence.
- Bilingual kids can relate more to a wider group of people. Being able to communicate with a larger group of people will help broaden their relationships and experiences.
- Learning a second language can build a child’s confidence as they practise and discover that they can communicate with more people.
- It can broaden opportunities for your child in school and later work. Another language can be an advantage, although it does not guarantee academic or career success.
- It gives your child more language-learning practice. Studies of broader cognitive benefits have mixed results, so an overall cognitive advantage is not guaranteed.
- SO much more!
Now that we have listed some of the benefits, let’s get down to business and see how you can accomplish this project for you and your kid(s)!
II. How to Teach Your Kids French
If you’re thinking how difficult it must be to teach your kids French, don’t worry. The key is to make it as fun as possible not just for your child, but for you as well.
Here are some ways you can do that.
1. Start with the alphabet and numbers.
For learning the very basics, you can try some fun activities such as:
A. Sing along to the French ABC song.
B. Play ABC Bingo.
To do it, prepare a card with 16 squares. Each square would have a different letter. Pick out a letter from an envelope and the child would cross all the mentioned letters from his card.
C. Devise some fun counting games that you could play:
Count the number of items in the house (how many chairs/ pillows/ toys/ windows, etc.), play Price is Right with your child (think of a number and ask him/her to guess!)
2. Introduce simple vocabulary and make it fun!
Start with fun vocabulary that your kids would enjoy such as shapes, animals, colors, common objects, parts of the house, fruits and veggies.
You can also:
- Label simple objects around the house with French words.
- Draw shapes together and learn the French words for each.
- Work on a coloring book together and use the French words for the names of colors.
- Color-code objects around the house to indicate their noun genders (blue or green for masculine words and pink or yellow for feminine words).
- Use age-appropriate French flashcard apps on iOS or Android. French Baby Flash Cards is an earlier example; check current availability on your device.
3. Use music.
Music is a great way to have fun while learning a new language. Teach your kids some French nursery rhymes and sing along with them to the tunes! Here’s a playlist you can use (+ use your device as a karaoke!)
70 French Songs for Children – Playlist
4. Two words: MOVIE NIGHT!
Cozy up on the couch with the entire family and watch French movies that are great for children. Here is a list of recommendations:
15 Child-Friendly French Movies
5. Comics are a good idea!
Introduce your kids to Asterix and Obelix, Tintin, The Smurfs, and more!
15 Great Comics to Learn French
6. Watch French cartoons.
Check the French cartoons on Tou.tv Jeunesse; programme availability can depend on your location. Bandgee.com was another earlier resource, but check that it is still available before planning around it.
7. Try out some games from good online sites.
Websites like Duolingo and Hello-World French Children’s Activities are really great for your kids, too!
III. Conclusion
There are a lot of benefits that your child could get from learning French. Aside from being a good bonding activity with your children, it can broaden their communication skills, cultural connections and opportunities to learn.
Talk in French can help you teach your children French at home. With the number of resources available on the website, you will soon be on the way to having bilingual kids. Good luck and enjoy!
