How to Teach Your Kids French at Home

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Last Updated: August 30, 2022

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Wondering 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! 

how to teach your kids french

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.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 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 will build their emotional intelligence. Studies show that bilingual children have more empathy and higher EQ!
  • Bilingual kids could 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.
  • A second language boosts a child’s self confidence. No explanation needed there!
  • It broadens opportunities for your child, gives him a competitive advantage in school, and sets him/her up for career success. Now who doesn’t want that?
  • It increases your child’s cognitive abilities.
  • .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 flashcard apps on iOS or Android such as French Baby Flash Cards.
  • Make your own flashcards using the complete French vocabulary e-book below.
10 Bilingual Tales in English and French

FRENCH-ENGLISH FAIRY TALES TO BOOST YOUR READING AND LISTENING COMPREHENSION

  • Read and listen to the stories in dual language
  • Enjoy a mix of popular and unknown fairy tales 
  • Learn new vocabulary and grammar structures naturally 
  • Sharpen your reading comprehension hand-in-hand with your listening skills

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!)

french-songs-children-fb

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:

10 Child-Friendly French Movies

5. Comics are a good idea!

Introduce your kids to Asterix and Obelix, Tintin, The Smurfs, and more!

comic best learn french

6. Watch French cartoons.

There are plenty of sites that offer French cartoons such as Bandgee.com  and Tou.tv Jeunesse.

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!

8. Use different types of learning materials that the kids would enjoy.

Here at Talk in French, I have prepared a bunch of materials that would be great for your kids. The following e-books with audio would surely help:

This bilingual picture storybook is great for young children. Full of visuals that your kids would love, the story, “Where’s My Ball?” features vocabulary to help kids learn basic words like shapes, sizes, colors, as well as how to introduce themselves---in both English and French.

Each e-book in this 3-volume comes with 10 short stories that are great for children and are written in parallel text in both French and English. Perfect not just for bedtime but for any time of the day.The best part? It comes with audio recorded in both French and English. You and your child can listen to this together at bedtime!

bilingual French-English Stories with Audio

  • Enjoy reading and listening to ten short stories with a delightful fantasy element.
  • Read the stories in parallel text. Written in both French and English for easier comprehension.  
  • Learn new vocabulary and grammar structures naturally.
  • Perfect for kids ages 6-12 years old; great for adults, too!

Read and listen to 10 fairy tales you know and love--written and recorded in both French and English!

10 Bilingual Tales in English and French

FRENCH-ENGLISH FAIRY TALES TO BOOST YOUR READING AND LISTENING COMPREHENSION

  • Read and listen to the stories in dual language
  • Enjoy a mix of popular and unknown fairy tales 
  • Learn new vocabulary and grammar structures naturally 
  • Sharpen your reading comprehension hand-in-hand with your listening skills

III. Conclusion

There are a lot of benefits that your child could get from learning French. Aside from begin a good bonding activity with your children, learning French will promote their cognitive development, boost their emotional and relational skills, among many others.

Talk in French can help you teach your children French at home. With the number of available contents in the website as well as some good e-books with audio, you will soon be on the way to having bilingual kids. Good luck and enjoy!

About the author 

Frederic Bibard is the founder of Talk in French, a company that helps french learners to practice and improve their french. Macaron addict. Jacques Audiard fan. You can contact him on Instagram

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