ACTIVITIES
Other ideas comingsoon eventually...
French Audio Dictionary features mp3 files of 2000+ common words, expressions, and names, with English definitions and links to more information
French Idiom Dictionary from Language Realm: A good long list of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms in French, translated into English. The definitions of idiomatic expressions often provide the literal translation as well as what they actually mean, which is helpful for language learners. (Remember, don't try to translate word-for-word when you're speaking another language!)
French Proverbs Dictionary from Language Realm: "French proverbs offer insight into French culture, history, and society, and are often used in speech and writing. There is no substitute for knowing them, and if you can use them in yourself, so much the better." (Description from the site.) Perhaps less useful for beginners, but still fascinating to see the French versions of familiar English proverbs along with ones that don't exist in English. As above, the site gives the literal translation as well as the figurative.
French Slang Dictionary from Language Realm: "A comprehensive and in-depth look at all the slang, vulgarisms, curses, and insults, plus idioms, expressions, and a lot more, that appear in everday French." (Description from the website.) ABC order, short definitions, includes extremely common prepositions and other phrases I wouldn't consider "slang" or even "idioms." Includes some of the idioms from the above Idiom Dictionary, but not all of them.
WordReference.com: To me, the most useful bilingual dictionary(s) online. Offered in over a dozen languages. Search individual words (not phrases) and see a clear list of the different meanings of the word according to part of speech, with a sample sentence for each. Then, see the list of expressions which use that word. Many entries also provide a link to discussion forums that address that word--you can ask questions and read what native speakers and professional translators have to say about how it's used. (I have been very grateful for this website and its forums when looking up words from French comptines which turn out to be archaic and thus not in my print French dictionaries.) All that this resource lacks is the ability to hear the word pronounced aloud.
CAHIERS D'ACTIVITÉS
(I love workbooks and free printable worksheet pages! Here are some of my most common sources.)
GAMES
L'alphabet en français, part I: Chantez ! (songs and videos featuring the French alphabet)
L'alphabet en français, part II: Répétez ! (videos and activities to practice saying the French alphabet)
L'alphabet en français, part III: Jouez ! (coming soon: apps and online games that help you learn the French alphabet)
L'alphabet en français, part IV: Leftovers ! (coming soon: other links, resources, and recommendations for teaching or studying the French alphabet)
"Auto-Immersion": language-rich activities you can do with your kids while you're driving your car
Family, Friends, and Francais, Part I: Introduction
Family, Friends, and Francais, Part II: Art and Drama
Family, Friends, and Francais, Part III: Recommended Reading
Family, Friends, and Francais, Part IV: Literacy Activities
Family, Friends, and Francais, Part V: Kinesthetic Activities
Early Literacy Activities: suggestions for games and activities to help students who are emerging readers by reinforcing high-frequency vocabulary words, word families, and more
Flashcards (what to do, what not to do)
L'alphabet en français, part II: Répétez ! (videos and activities to practice saying the French alphabet)
L'alphabet en français, part III: Jouez ! (coming soon: apps and online games that help you learn the French alphabet)
L'alphabet en français, part IV: Leftovers ! (coming soon: other links, resources, and recommendations for teaching or studying the French alphabet)
"Auto-Immersion": language-rich activities you can do with your kids while you're driving your car
Family, Friends, and Francais, Part I: Introduction
Family, Friends, and Francais, Part II: Art and Drama
Family, Friends, and Francais, Part III: Recommended Reading
Family, Friends, and Francais, Part IV: Literacy Activities
Family, Friends, and Francais, Part V: Kinesthetic Activities
Early Literacy Activities: suggestions for games and activities to help students who are emerging readers by reinforcing high-frequency vocabulary words, word families, and more
Flashcards (what to do, what not to do)
Learning French Around the Maison, Part II: Art and Drama
Learning French Around the Maison, Part III: Literacy Activities
Learning French Around the Maison, Part III: Literacy Activities
Preschool-age language-reinforcing activities (descriptions with my suggestions)
Other ideas coming
DICTIONARIES
(These resources are geared to the grown-ups who might be learning French along with their kiddos.)French Audio Dictionary features mp3 files of 2000+ common words, expressions, and names, with English definitions and links to more information
French Idiom Dictionary from Language Realm: A good long list of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms in French, translated into English. The definitions of idiomatic expressions often provide the literal translation as well as what they actually mean, which is helpful for language learners. (Remember, don't try to translate word-for-word when you're speaking another language!)
French Proverbs Dictionary from Language Realm: "French proverbs offer insight into French culture, history, and society, and are often used in speech and writing. There is no substitute for knowing them, and if you can use them in yourself, so much the better." (Description from the site.) Perhaps less useful for beginners, but still fascinating to see the French versions of familiar English proverbs along with ones that don't exist in English. As above, the site gives the literal translation as well as the figurative.
French Slang Dictionary from Language Realm: "A comprehensive and in-depth look at all the slang, vulgarisms, curses, and insults, plus idioms, expressions, and a lot more, that appear in everday French." (Description from the website.) ABC order, short definitions, includes extremely common prepositions and other phrases I wouldn't consider "slang" or even "idioms." Includes some of the idioms from the above Idiom Dictionary, but not all of them.
WordReference.com: To me, the most useful bilingual dictionary(s) online. Offered in over a dozen languages. Search individual words (not phrases) and see a clear list of the different meanings of the word according to part of speech, with a sample sentence for each. Then, see the list of expressions which use that word. Many entries also provide a link to discussion forums that address that word--you can ask questions and read what native speakers and professional translators have to say about how it's used. (I have been very grateful for this website and its forums when looking up words from French comptines which turn out to be archaic and thus not in my print French dictionaries.) All that this resource lacks is the ability to hear the word pronounced aloud.
CAHIERS D'ACTIVITÉS
(I love workbooks and free printable worksheet pages! Here are some of my most common sources.)
Vocabulary: Because coloring pages, tracing worksheets, mazes, and cut-and-paste activities can be completed in any language, you don't need to buy fancy workbooks from abroad for your pre-readers--but you do have to be able to talk about them and give directions in the target language! Therefore, I polled my native-speaking friends and checked out the directions in store-bought French workbooks and made a list of the most common terms.
GAMES
Apps: My favorite iPad applications in French are collected on my Pinterest apps board and described in greater detail here.
Go Fish: Help your children create their own French-language Go Fish card game using words that they want to draw!
LeapPad
Go Fish: Help your children create their own French-language Go Fish card game using words that they want to draw!
LeapPad
Mon Premier Dokéo: My French friend Delphine loaned me this very cool electronic game until her five-year-old missed it so much we had to return it, so we're going to buy it for Griffin as a present from the new baby (even though it costs about 60 euros and we'll have to have it shipped internationally). It's that fantastic! It features sturdy interchangeable pages with scenes from daily life and topics that interest children (animals, ocean, etc.) You can use each page as an imagier (touch the picture and the game names what it is) or play games of varying difficulty. For example, with the "dining room" page, the game can tell the child to find specific objects (the salad, the mother), play a song about eating, or ask harder questions, like "where is something that you eat raw?" or "who is sitting across from the baby?" Amazing!
Tag reader
MOVIES/DVDS/VIDEOS FOR CHILDREN
Annie Brocoli
Baby's First Steps in French: A CD that features parentese and recited comptines (nursery rhymes) along with traditional songs for children, most of which have been slightly altered to expose babies and toddlers to a rich variety of sounds in French. Read my review of the book that accompanies it.
Joyeux Noel: Sing Along and Learn Carols in French from Teach Me Tapes. Some of these are traditional French holiday songs, like "Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle," "Il est né, le divin enfant," and "Petit Papa Noel," while others seem to be translations of songs in English ("Boules de gui" is "Deck the Halls,"L'enfant au tambour" is "The Little Drummer Boy"), although for all I know they've existed or even originated in French.
Cha Cha Cha
Putomayo Kids: French Playground, Quebec Playground, New Orleans
Teach Me French, Teach Me More French, and Teach Me Even More French
Other titles comingsoon eventually …
LanguageMom: 24-lesson classes for children delivered weekly via email for parents with no prior knowledge of French; the lessons include access to online videos of a native speaker pronouncing the target vocabulary (update as of August 2015: these no longer seem to be available)
Language Tortoise: short educational videos featuring Heidi, a cheerful, funny Englishwoman teacher and her turtle puppet named Tonton
See also my Pinterest board on French schools in the US, including public and private schools for children, teens, and even adults, plus organizations like Concordia Language Villages and the Alliance Francaise.
Crib Sheet: phrases and sentences to use when speaking French with children, arranged by category
Langage enfantin:"baby talk" words, arranged alphabetically
List: relevant words and names, arranged by category
Also....Read a book--any book in French--about pregnancy, childbirth, toddlers, preschoolers, parenting. Or try Pregnant in France by Carrianne LeBras. Take notes and learn the French terms in context!
WEBSITES WITH INTERACTIVE GAMES
WHERE TO PURCHASE MATERIALS
YOUTUBE IN FRENCH FOR CHILDREN
Ana Lomba
Annie Brocoli
Brain Baby: French (my review of this bland, mediocre DVD)
Carmen Champagne's children's music videos in French: http://www.mastermindtoys.com/
Charlotte Diamond
French for Kids, Beginning Level, Vol. 1 (my review of what seemed like a very promising educational DVD)
Globe-Toddlers Adventures in French (my review of this French culture-oriented DVD)
List of recommended kids' movies from LinguistKids
Tralala children's music videos, with online study guides: http://www.lpb.org/education/classroom/itv/serdesc.cfm?SerID=228
More specific titles and/or reviews coming soon....in the meantime, see Bonne Maman's recommendations and the YouTube playlist complied by the AATF (American Association of Teachers of French)
Annie Brocoli
Brain Baby: French (my review of this bland, mediocre DVD)
Carmen Champagne's children's music videos in French: http://www.mastermindtoys.com/
Charlotte Diamond
French for Kids, Beginning Level, Vol. 1 (my review of what seemed like a very promising educational DVD)
Globe-Toddlers Adventures in French (my review of this French culture-oriented DVD)
List of recommended kids' movies from LinguistKids
Tralala children's music videos, with online study guides: http://www.lpb.org/education/classroom/itv/serdesc.cfm?SerID=228
More specific titles and/or reviews coming soon....in the meantime, see Bonne Maman's recommendations and the YouTube playlist complied by the AATF (American Association of Teachers of French)
MUSIC FOR CHILDREN
Alain Le Lait: This Frenchman who lives in Colorado may be a grown-up, but he is clearly in touch with his inner child! His three albums of silly songs in French (which also exist in English and in Spanish) really appeal to kids with their upbeat, catchy, rhyming music and lyrics. He writes about everything from a chocolat-chaud-drinking multicolored mystical creature ("Arc-en-ciel") to household appliances ("J'ai un réfrigérateur"). And some of his French songs have been produced as YouTube videos, which Griffin loves. (See titles below in the "YouTube" category.)
Annie Brocoli
Baby's First Steps in French: A CD that features parentese and recited comptines (nursery rhymes) along with traditional songs for children, most of which have been slightly altered to expose babies and toddlers to a rich variety of sounds in French. Read my review of the book that accompanies it.
Joyeux Noel: Sing Along and Learn Carols in French from Teach Me Tapes. Some of these are traditional French holiday songs, like "Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle," "Il est né, le divin enfant," and "Petit Papa Noel," while others seem to be translations of songs in English ("Boules de gui" is "Deck the Halls,"L'enfant au tambour" is "The Little Drummer Boy"), although for all I know they've existed or even originated in French.
Cha Cha Cha
Kidzup: This Canadian company published albums of children's songs and comptines (nursery rhymes) in French. Most of the songs are traditional and/or well-known, while many of their comptines are their originals. They also sell books to accompany their CDs. I have learned so many songs from their two-disk collections Les plus belles chansons pour enfants and Mes chansons préférées! But here's the bad news: they no longer exist. Their website, kidzup.com, is gone, and neither amazon.com nor amazon.ca (Canada) offers many of their French albums. Perhaps you can check eBay or other second-hand CD sellers? Please let me know if you can find a source for more of their music, because I really do recommend it highly!
Muriel Vergnaud: This French musician-teacher writes and performs original songs for children and teaches French classes for youngsters. Her music is gentle and simple, dealing with everyday objects and situations and animals. I bought her three short CDs after watching her present a session at an AATF conference where she demonstrated how she uses art projects, puppets, and more to teach French with her songs.
Putomayo Kids: French Playground, Quebec Playground, New Orleans
Teach Me French, Teach Me More French, and Teach Me Even More French
Other titles coming
ONLINE COURSES/PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN
LanguageMom: 24-lesson classes for children delivered weekly via email for parents with no prior knowledge of French; the lessons include access to online videos of a native speaker pronouncing the target vocabulary (update as of August 2015: these no longer seem to be available)
Language Tortoise: short educational videos featuring Heidi, a cheerful, funny Englishwoman teacher and her turtle puppet named Tonton
PICTURE BOOKS
Specific titles coming soon...in the meantime, see:
Bonne Maman's recommendations
Eve from Blogging on Bilingualism's "we love…" reviews
Dans la bibliothèque de Noukette
My Pinterest boards gathering books and ideas for French storytime
The Language Tortoise's ideas for books (plus apps and a few other resources)
This collection of 100+ videos of children's books in French
Top Ten French Pronunciation Mistakes and Difficulties with links to sound files and more detailed descriptions and examples
Bonne Maman's recommendations
Eve from Blogging on Bilingualism's "we love…" reviews
Dans la bibliothèque de Noukette
My Pinterest boards gathering books and ideas for French storytime
The Language Tortoise's ideas for books (plus apps and a few other resources)
This collection of 100+ videos of children's books in French
PRONUNCIATION
(These resources can help anglophone parents improve or reinforce their understanding of French pronunciation, from individual letter sounds to stress and intonation.)Top Ten French Pronunciation Mistakes and Difficulties with links to sound files and more detailed descriptions and examples
SCHOOLS AND LANGUAGE CAMPS
See also my Pinterest board on French schools in the US, including public and private schools for children, teens, and even adults, plus organizations like Concordia Language Villages and the Alliance Francaise.
TEXTBOOKS/EDUCATIONAL BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
French for Little Boys and French for Little Girls: workbooks for young children designed for families without prior knowledge of French, self-published by a language teacher (Yvonne at Languages for Little Learners) who homeschooled her children bilingually in French. Available for around $11 from Amazon. I bought the "Little Boys" one for Griffin but haven't done much with it because I lost it. :(
Ici on parle français: 73-page downloadable elementary French textbook available through Teachers Pay Teachers for $7.99. I'm considering buying it--I like the fact that two children from Francophone countries present the vocabulary and activities (on topics you might expect--foods, colors, greetings, and so forth).
Ici on parle français: 73-page downloadable elementary French textbook available through Teachers Pay Teachers for $7.99. I'm considering buying it--I like the fact that two children from Francophone countries present the vocabulary and activities (on topics you might expect--foods, colors, greetings, and so forth).
Other titles and reviews coming soon eventually ...
VOCABULARY IN FRENCH ABOUT CHILDREN
Crib Sheet: phrases and sentences to use when speaking French with children, arranged by category
Langage enfantin:"baby talk" words, arranged alphabetically
List: relevant words and names, arranged by category
Also....Read a book--any book in French--about pregnancy, childbirth, toddlers, preschoolers, parenting. Or try Pregnant in France by Carrianne LeBras. Take notes and learn the French terms in context!
100 websites, blogs, and other resources from "Love France, Learn French" -- a fantastic annotated list
Links and descriptions comingsoon eventually ...
Links and descriptions coming
WHERE TO PURCHASE MATERIALS
eBay, especially eBay from the nearest country where French is spoken (I find very good deals for large groups of used books and magazines from eBay Canada, for example)
Lectures de France (USA): offers children's books grouped into very helpful categories for browsing.
Les petits livres: Actually, this is a rent-by-mail service, not unlike Netflix, but for children's books in French. The owner, a French woman living in Texas, offers a large selection for ages 0-12 and different plans (from two at a time each month to six at a time, as many times a month as you want). The owner lent me books when my friend Delphine and I were starting up our French storytime at the library. Once Griffin is ready for chapter books, I plan to start using this service again.
Scholastic Books (Canada): My fellow readers in the US will probably remember fondly the days that our elementary school teachers sent home the Scholastic book order forms each month. The colorful, flimsy newsprint flyers offered four pages of age-appropriate books for cheaper than anything in the bookstore. The teacher would collect the forms and the checks and send them in, then a few weeks later, lo and behold the brand-new books! The website shows their offerings in French. To learn how to place book orders in French through your child's school (and pay no shipping fees!), see Susan's explanation at LinguistKids. I haven't done this myself yet, because Griffin is only in preschool two days per week, and in general his school is too disorganized for me to approach them about the book orders. Maybe someday....
Lectures de France (USA): offers children's books grouped into very helpful categories for browsing.
Les petits livres: Actually, this is a rent-by-mail service, not unlike Netflix, but for children's books in French. The owner, a French woman living in Texas, offers a large selection for ages 0-12 and different plans (from two at a time each month to six at a time, as many times a month as you want). The owner lent me books when my friend Delphine and I were starting up our French storytime at the library. Once Griffin is ready for chapter books, I plan to start using this service again.
Scholastic Books (Canada): My fellow readers in the US will probably remember fondly the days that our elementary school teachers sent home the Scholastic book order forms each month. The colorful, flimsy newsprint flyers offered four pages of age-appropriate books for cheaper than anything in the bookstore. The teacher would collect the forms and the checks and send them in, then a few weeks later, lo and behold the brand-new books! The website shows their offerings in French. To learn how to place book orders in French through your child's school (and pay no shipping fees!), see Susan's explanation at LinguistKids. I haven't done this myself yet, because Griffin is only in preschool two days per week, and in general his school is too disorganized for me to approach them about the book orders. Maybe someday....
Sosnowski Language Resources (USA): a small business in Colorado run by a former teacher who sells books in French and in Spanish. She has a huge selection of children's books, from board books to picture books to easy readers and beyond, and I appreciate that she makes a concerted effort to represent many different countries in the francophone world. (On the other hand, quite a few of the books I've purchased have turned out to be translated from English.) Every time I visit her stand at the CCFLT conference, I spend much more money than I expect! (And it's always worth it.)
World of Reading (USA): a company that sells books, CDs, DVDs, software, and more in many different languages. I like how they provide categories for browsing online ("classic children's books like Babar and Madeline in French," "French movies dealing with African themes," etc.), but was disappointed when I purchased what I believed were French DVDs (Babar, Rue Sesame) but turned out to be American TV shows dubbed in French.
Other resources coming soon eventually ...
YOUTUBE IN FRENCH FOR CHILDREN
Alain Le Lait: This Frenchman who lives in Colorado may be a grown-up, but he is clearly in touch with his inner child! His albums of silly and/or educational songs really appeal to kids with their upbeat, catchy, rhyming music and lyrics. His videos range from him singing with his guitar to some bizarrely-animated songs--but they're all fun! My favorite is "En voici, en voilà" about popular foods. Because various people have turned his songs into videos, they are found in different places on YouTube, but this link will turn up many of them in French, and here is a playlist of 20+ videos together.
Carmen Champagne
Chantal Goya
Charlotte Diamond
Charlotte Diamond
Comptines (karaoke-style)
Greetings in French: videos of songs that use greetings such as "Bonjour" and "Comment ça va"
Jean Petit qui danse
L'âne Trotro
Jean Petit qui danse
L'âne Trotro
Oui-oui
Petit Ours brun
Petit Ours brun
T'choupi
The Language Tortoise: short educational videos featuring a cheerful, funny Englishwoman teacher and her turtle puppet)
Verbs
100+ videos of picture books in French
The Language Tortoise: short educational videos featuring a cheerful, funny Englishwoman teacher and her turtle puppet)
Verbs
100+ videos of picture books in French
Links, plus other videos and descriptions coming soon....in the meantime, consult the YouTube playlist complied by the AATF (American Association of Teachers of French)
greetings sarah. i am considering purchasing the "mon premier dokeo" game that you mentioned above. if you don't mind responding, how did it work for the kids? i understand that it's geared towards 2yos. how much use were your "students" able to get out of it? any additional reviews/thoughts would be much appreciated.
ReplyDeletethanks,
survival-french speaking mom of two children being reared bilingually
I admire this article for the well-researched content and excellent wording. I got so involved in this material that I couldn’t stop reading. I am impressed with your work and skill. Thank you so much. Learn Scottish Accent
DeleteHi survival-French mom! I highly recommend the game for kids up to five or six years old. The varying levels of difficulty of the activities means that the toddlers can learn vocabulary while the older kids have to demonstrate their comprehension of more complex topics.
ReplyDeleteMy son loved it at age 2.5, as did his five-year-old native-speaking French friend from whom we borrowed it.
If you end up purchasing it, let me know what you think!
greetings sarah. thanks for your reply. the mom of one of my daughter's friends will be traveling to france later this summer and has agreed to purchase it for us. i am crossing my fingers that we will have it by the fall. is it an all inclusive item or do you need to buy extra "cartridges" like the leapad? thanks in advance.
ReplyDeletesurvival-french speaking mom...
No, you won't need anything else. I just ordered one from amazon.fr, along with two books in French for Griffin's Leapfrog Tag reader. Let's hope they're worth the expense!
ReplyDeleteOh, this Ravensburger "Mon premier jeu des incollables" also looks intriguing! Anyone know anything about it?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.fr/Ravensburger-%C3%A9ducatif-premier-Premier-Incollables/dp/B000NJWLTG/ref=sr_1_46?s=toys&ie=UTF8&qid=1308777071&sr=1-46
Hi Sarah, I love your blog, very nice work, congratulations.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a little children’s bilingual picture book.
http://www.amazon.com/Animals-Colors-bilingual-English-ebook/dp/B005VQBDU4
If you are interested, I would love to offer you a copy and listen to your opinion.
Thank you and have a nice week.
Claudia
Bonjour Claudia! Thank you for offering to give me a copy of your book. Unfortunately, I don't have a Kindle, so I wouldn't be able to read it. However, I did take a look at the sample pages, and they appealed to me: combining the animal name with the color words and then having one animal "introduce" the next is a great idea. The illustrations are so clear that I bet you don't even need to include the English translations!
DeleteMaybe we could talk about doing a giveaway to one of my readers instead of to me--please email me at babybilingual (at) gmail (dot) com if you're interested!
Will you be publishing other e-books in French for children? What about for other types of e-readers?
This is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing this. I've been teaching my 1 year old French for the past three months and I feel like I need other resources. Your blog is incredible.
ReplyDeleteYou're making me blush! Thanks for your kind words. I look forward to reading more on your blog about your son's adventures in learning French!
DeleteI was just checking out your resources on your pinterest page. I wanted to let you know about another site to order books. They have a pretty good selection and their service is awesome. I usually have the books within 3-5 days: Www.lecturesdefrance.com
ReplyDeleteWhat a great site for browsing--thanks, Dolinda! I like the way this site groups the books into categories like "fairy tales" and "board books" and "T'choupi" (and other characters) and by age and so forth. This makes it easier to browse than say, Amazon, where you're better off looking for a specific title (in my opinion).
DeleteIt is me again...just wondered if you knew about Henri Dès? I just found some of his music and really like it a lot. Some of it is pretty fast but my 2 year old really likes his music. Her favorite is Les Bêtises à l'École. He has a few of his songs on You Tube. For some reason I can't link the website with all his albums on it but it is. Www.club-tralalere.com and you click on Artie's and then Henri Dès.
ReplyDeleteWhen you click on an album you can hear little samples of his music and if you click on the title song it gives you the lyrics. He also has a free iPad app that will play 250 of his songs.
On a different note...are you still enjoying the Mon Premier Dokéo. I'm about to order one for my daughter and wondered if you were still loving it.
That should be "Artiste" for the website, darn autocorrect!
DeleteNo, I don't know Henri Des--can't wait to check him out online and on the iPad!
DeleteAs for the Mon Premier Dokeo, I still think it's fun and very well designed and a great learning tool--but, honestly, compared to the French educational iPad apps we have found, it seems old-fashioned and doesn't engage Griffin much any more. (But he's now 4.5 yrs old, so perhaps getting too old for it anyway?) It also takes up a lot of space. But I plan on using it lots with Gwyneth, because I don't want my baby (well, toddler, now) staring at a screen.
Thank you for sharing your resources. I am also forging ahead with this great experiment of bilingual parenting as a non-native speaker of French. My son just turned a year old, so I can't wait to see how the coming years play out in his communication. Reading about your experiences gives me hope! Merci!
ReplyDeleteDe rien, Melinda! Please do keep in touch and let me know how it goes--I think one of our greatest resources for us non-native French speaking parents is each other.
DeleteWhere do you live, and does your partner speak French too?
And are you using baby sign language with your son? It's been helpful with Gwyneth, who is 15 months now and using more signs than words.
Just thought you may like this http://www.thepiripirilexicon.com/2013/01/french-resources-our-favourite.html?m=1
ReplyDeleteThanks for recommending this subscription to L'ecole des loisirs, Annabelle!
DeleteHello Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great resources, I grew up in a French-English/US environment and thought my daughter should equally benefit from this experience. She is now 6yrs old and I have only spoken French to her since she was born.My wife is incredibly supportive. She absolutely understands everything (no other choice given)but reluctant to answer back in French. Any suggestions? Also I will try to read to her more often and get her involved since she can now read (in English). I like the list of sites you have compiled. Thanks for all your work
Hello! Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your situation. Bravo to you for six years of consistent French input for your daughter! I assume that your family doesn't live in, say, Louisiana, where there are lots of francophone resources?
DeleteIf not, do you know any other francophone families with children around your daughter's age? The influence of peers is so important--if she heard other kids speaking French with their families that could help. Playgroups? Storytimes? What about skyping with kids who speak French?
My son also prefers English and finds it easier to express himself in English. Once he started reading, though, he really enjoyed reading bilingual picture books with me--we take turns reading. And when I read to him, he's more willing to speak French when we discuss the book (yet another reason to read lots and lots to our children!).
Bonne chance and bon courage--keep us posted!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteWould love advice on teaching my 18mth old french!! We have a french background & know some but have no family to teach us!! Also perfect op for me to remember & learn more too!! Looked at 'little pim' dvds & cds (for the car) something that can be a part of our everyday life without realising!! (does that make sence?????)
Any thoughts??
Thanks
jaci
Bonjour Jaci! Yes, definitely weave lots of music in French into your daily lives, especially comptines and other children's songs that you can do motions with (like "dans sa maison un grand cerf" and "l'araignee gypsie" and such). All of you will pick up a lot of new words that way! There are also a lot of good animated kids' songs in French on YouTube, like these, for example:
Deletehttp://pinterest.com/babybilingual/french-playlist-songs-for-students/
Can you hire a babysitter who speaks French? Or even a native speaker to come to your home once or twice a week to interact with the whole family in French--cook together, take a walk, play games? Do you live near a city with an Alliance Francaise? They offer classes for all ages, taught by native speakers.
You might want to start introducing French to your family by establishing certain places and/or times where everyone tries their best to speak French: every morning at breakfast, for instance, or when you're in the car with your child, or when sitting on a particular piece of furniture ("the French couch"), or simply a special blanket spread out on the floor, picnic-style, for family French time.
Good suggestions here: http://www.multilingualchildren.org/start.html
Bon courage! Keep us posted--I'd love to hear about what works for your family.
I think teaching children French is fantastic! Teaching at home is also more effective, as in a class room there are more distractions and you are all going at one pace. Children do need to be taught young as this is the time where they soak in information like a sponge!
ReplyDeleteYes, sometimes I'm envious of my own children, who get to learn a second language organically as children--I had to wait until I was 14 and then study conjugation charts and vocabulary lists!
DeleteHi Sarah, this website is such a valuable resource for teaching languages to children as a non-native speaker. Like you, I have been asked by my rother and his wife to speak to my baby niece only in French, and like you said, that's great, but it's not easy when you realise how little infant-related vocabulary that you know! I found the vocabulary list that you posted really helpful, but I also
ReplyDeleteOh no I hadn't finished! I also found this list of full phrases for specific activities during the day in Spanish, and I wondered if you knew of something similar in French?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all the wonderful advice, stories, and ideas... You're a great credit to those wishin to cure monolingualism ;-)
Haley xxx
Hello Haley and thank you for your kind words! You will have such fun as the francophone auntie.
DeleteJust realized that the links I posted above weren't working, so I fixed that and then added one that has the type of expressions you're looking for (ie, more than just words in isolation).
Please keep in touch and let us know how it goes!
Goodness me, I forgot to post the link, so sorry... Here it is! X
ReplyDeletehttp://www.spanishplayground.net/61-common-spanish-phrases-kids-printable-list/
Nice post. Great collection of resources for learning french.
ReplyDeleteHope I would learn it fast.
Best of luck to you!
DeleteHi Sarah
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I are native Spanish speakers who also speak English. We are raising our daugther bilingual, and she now at 20 months can understand and say words in both languages. I want to introduce French as third language, but we don't speak it. I am thinking to start slowly with music/baby songs. Any experiences you can share about a more than 2 languages enviroment? One of my concerns is that it could be too confusing for her, although I want to take advantage of her window of opportunity on language learning.
Hola Janeth! So nice to "meet" another non-native speaking parent. Isn't it amazing to watch your child acquire two languages?!
DeleteWhile I don't know much about trilingualism at home with young children, it sounds like introducing French gradually is a sound approach. You can probably cut down on the potential for confusion by carefully delineating when and where she is exposed to French (and, indeed, Spanish and English as well).
For example, breakfast in French, lunch in Spanish, and dinner in English; listening only to French music in the car; watching YouTube clips of animated French comptines after naptime each day; and one book in each language before bedtime, always in the same order. Maybe one room of your home could be devoted to a certain language, too?
Thus, ideally, as your daughter grows, she will associate certain situations with a specific language and know better what to expect where and when.
And what has really helped us is finding similarly-aged children who speak the minority language--perhaps you can locate (or create) a French playgroup (and an English playgroup, if you don't participate in one already).
Bonne chance! Keep in touch--I would love to hear how it goes.
Dear Madam,
ReplyDeleteYou may find useful my websites : to learn French for free, http://www.frenchspanishonline.com is with audio vocabulary, videos, games, French expressions for beginners and advanced level students
and www.frenglishnews.com is for news in English and in French with audio.
Thank you,
Best Regards,
Pascal d'Hervé
FSO
Thank you so much for sharing your sites with us, Monsieur! I really like the short news articles and accompanying audio on French English News and will ask my son to listen to some to see how well he can understand them. (He does need more listening comprehension and reading practice--this will be great!)
DeleteThe French Spanish Online site was a little confusing to me at first, so I have bookmarked this version of it with just the French grammar and idioms explained in English:
http://www.frenchspanishonline.com/magazine/?page_id=252
I will add these two sites to my Pinterest boards about French learning and to the sidebar of my blogs!
Merci encore une fois.
I recently found the youtube channel for the Canadian kids programming miniTFO https://www.youtube.com/user/MiniTFO rather than just French language cartoons, it has studio-based presenters doing songs, counting, games and colours
ReplyDeleteThis looks wonderful, Paul--thanks so much for sharing! Do you (or your children?) have any favorites to recommend?
DeleteHi Sarah. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! It really helps me to be able to have all these ideas in one place--otherwise I would totally forget half of them.
DeleteWow, this is such a wealth of resources I am on overload! I found your blog by Adam Beck at www.bilingualzoo.com and this is awesome!
ReplyDeleteI am also an American, raised monolingual-turned-trilingual and just began teaching my daughters French a few months ago (They are 5, 3, and 9 months and as you can imagine, the older ones are not so excited about learning!) Grateful for all these resources, I can't wait to get some iPad apps, new books and music you suggested. We are bored to death with "Frère Jacques" and "Sur le pont d'Avignon."
Merci bien!
Jana
Thanks, Jana! I'm glad that you found my blog because I have enjoyed reading your comments. (Sorry to take so long to reply to this first one.)
DeleteBonjour,
ReplyDeleteCheckout www.lomini.me, new website but you can watch videos in French and any other languages you choose. Great for toddlers under 5 and some adults;-)
Cute site--thanks for sharing! What a variety of languages it covers. I like how you can sort by category to see, for instance, alphabet songs in many languages.
DeleteI am living in Africa, and have a French speaking 9 year old stepson. I want to home school him, because the schools here leave a lot to be desired. Do you know of any home school curriculum programs that are in French. I am interested in all subjects. Thank you
ReplyDeleteOooh, good question. I don't know of any programs to recommend, unfortunately. I have heard that homeschooling is much less common in France than in the USA, so that would imply that there are fewer curriculums available for homeschooling parents. Maybe you could check Francophone Canada? And there are tons of resources in English on the Internet--perhaps you'd be willing to adapt those as you go? Good luck! Bonne chance! Please let us know what you end up going with.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI started to teach my little one French, Spanish and her mom is teaching her Arabic. My girl is fascinated with Spanish and Arabic YouTube videos but hates MOST of the French ones. You know why? Because MOST of the French ones I have encountered are TOO SLOW and TOO MUTED for her. I wonder what to do!! Initially, she hated anything that was not English but after listening to Arabic and Spanish for long - and French before she gets bored - she can now relate. But French is still a problem. Any advice? Thank you so much Sarah!
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