How To Teach Your Child French At Home: 3 Easy Ways
How to teach your child French when you don’t speak French. I’m going to show you what your child’s French Immersion Kindergarten or Grade 1 teacher wants your child to know and be able to do.
Teach Your Child French at Home
You have a child in French Immersion or a preschooler who you hope to put in French Immersion in September… and you want to be as prepared as possible!
I totally get that signing your child up to do almost all of their schooling in a language you don’t speak can be stressful as heck. Rest assured though that most families that sign up for French Immersion do not speak French at home.
As a Kindergarten French Immersion teacher, I can assure you that there are ways you can support your child at home including supporting them in learning how to read in French.
I’m going to walk you through the first French vocabulary that your child will likely learn in French Immersion.
French School: Calendar
A calendar routine is an old school, basic way to teach vocabulary, numbers, the date, days of the week, months of the year, weather and the seasons. It is a predictable way to start each day and besides, primary French Immersion is ALL ABOUT REPETITION. Repeating the words and phrases over and over each day sounds tedious but that’s how the children remember and internalize everything a beginner French Immersion student needs to know.
It makes me think of how a baby learns their first language. They hear the same words and sentences all day every day and eventually, between a million poopy diapers and bottles of milk, the language sinks in.
In my French For Families resource, (the cart is currently closed on this resource). I have included an entire calendar set that is identical to what I created for my classroom. You can print it out smaller, if you like, for home use. I have filmed videos of me singing all of the calendar songs so you can rest assured you’ll be teaching your child the correct pronunciation. Yay!
French School: The Alphabet
First and foremost the alphabet is where it’s at. You want your child to learn the letters and letter sounds in French.
I have seen firsthand the panic in parents’ eyes when I ask them to practice the French alphabet at home. Parents are busy! Making time to practice letters with your child is hard and when you don’t know what sounds the letters make it adds on another layer of work.
For parents who speak English as a second or third language it can be even more daunting to help your child with French.
I’ve created some videos showing my adorable French alphabet posters that are included in the French for Families (cart closed on this currently) program.
Another fun way to practice the alphabet is with flipbooks. Each page features one letter or one colour and 5 different vocabulary words that go with the letter or colour. The best part is that your child will be involved in making the booklet by colouring, cutting and gluing or stapling it together. Kids feel proud when they help make something and these activities also help their little hands develop good fine motor skills (which is key in getting ready for Kindergarten!).
I have made these flip books in 6 different ways so you can print out the version that is right for your child.
The flipbooks include:
colour pictures and bold font (I suggest printing and laminating to keep at home)
black and white pictures and bold font (students colour)
black and white pictures with tracing font (students colour and trace)
black and white pictures with blank dotted lines (students write the word)
black and white pictures with no line (students write the word)
no picture and bold font (students draw and colour the picture)
French School: Flashcards
A super fun way to use alphabet cards is to print them out smaller and use as flashcards. Don’t let the term “flashcards” deter you! There are SO MANY FUN WAYS to use them. My 10 favourite ways to use flashcards in French are here and you’ll have so much fun playing the games.
My kids love to play the stomp game where you put all of the cards on the floor and I call a card name and the jump on it. It gets them up and moving too!
What are you wondering about when it comes to sending your child to French Immersion Kindergarten? Let me know in the comments!
-Breyen
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