You would like your children to speak French one day, why not start when they are little? Although many parents’ first reaction is to enlist the help of a tutor, an hour a week’s exposure to a tutor isn’t going to do much for a young child. Young children learn by repetition, constant repetition, and learning a language is no different. The best solution would be to hire a French nanny to talk to them all day, but this is not an option for most of us. So in the end, the best tutor for your child will have to be you.
How can my child learn French if I don’t speak it myself?
If you don’t speak French at all, start by taking a couple of hours of lessons for yourself. Learn things like colors, animals, basic counting, and pronunciation from a small, easy book for toddlers. Now you can easily find teachers in your area or even by phone. A couple of things to make sure of when choosing a tutor: make sure they tailor their teaching to your needs and make sure they have lived in a French speaking country or are native to France as a proper accent is essential here . You’ll also find plenty of free resources online, but again, make sure you only choose the ones with matching audio recordings so you can learn proper pronunciation.
Teaching basic language skills to a young child
Once you have the basic pronunciation and vocabulary, start doing the repetitions with your children. For example: use French numbers whenever you count things like climbing stairs, use French courtesy at home (is there anything cuter than an English-speaking child saying “Merci!”), use French color names when drawing, etc. ..
Find movies or shows that contain French tracks (the “Caillou” series has them, as do many of the Disney and Dreamworks movies), or buy DVDs from a trusted source in Quebec, Canada (they use the same NTSC TV standard than the WE). If you talk a little, sit with your child while you watch the movie and use simple sentences like “look! Mowgli is eating a banana!” Get up and dance/sing along to the songs, your children will love this special moment and they will definitely develop an ear for the language and associate it with a good time.
More learning resources for children
Another great teaching tool is children’s songs or other animated audio recordings. My four-year-old daughter loves listening to recordings of classic stories; she seems mesmerized and she hears the same story over and over again, for weeks and months. I am stunned to realize how much she understands him. These recordings cover world-famous tales like “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Cinderella”, “Sleeping Beauty”… and come with a complete translation and beautiful old pictures, so you can listen to them with your children and give them suggestions. Not only does she understand the story, but she can also repeat the story using complete sentences that she has completely memorized. And her teachers tell me that her vocabulary and tenses in French are excellent.
Develop an interest in the French language and the rest will follow
Remember, at this age, the key is to help your child develop an ear and an interest in the French language, not transform him into the next Voltaire or Sartre. Children need to understand that there are words to say the same thing in different languages. The day your child points to a pink flower when he hears the word “rose”, you will be excited. Children at a young age want to show you that they understand and live by your reaction to their intelligence. They have an amazing ability to guess from context, and this is a great help in any language learning.
For over 36 hours of free audio-based French lessons
