Learn French for Kids!
Kids pick up languages far more easily than adults. If you would like your children to learn French, there is a great chance that they will learn the French language with a natural ease that would make most adult French learners green with envy!
If you want your children to be bilingual, they will easily pick up French if you expose them to French at a young age. There are many different ways for kids to learn French, which we will outline below.
Children will learn French in the same way that they learned English: by being introduced to the sound of the French language and the pronunciation of the French alphabet, learning basic French nouns, simple French verb conjugations, and easy French phrases.
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The multimedia approach to teaching your children French is the most effective and engaging. We’ll cover these methods for learning French in more detail below, but basically you’ll want to create a balance of activities that allow your child ample opportunities to watch, listen, read, write and speak French.
This can be achieved through a combination of things like audiovisual French exercises on the computer, French TV shows, French music, French activity books, and French games that you can play with your child.
When you teach your kids French, make sure that you don’t rely on just software, audio or video to do all the teaching – engage your kids in French on your own, so that they get used to speaking it. Learning French is easier (for both of you!) when it is interactive and conversational in this way. When you speak to your child in French, it shows them that knowing French is useful.
The best thing about these French learning methods for kids is that they are perfectly suitable for adults who want to learn French also! If you and your child are at the same level of learning French, hop along and learn French with your little one! This will be a fun shared experience for both of you, and you will each help encourage the other to learn.
Fun ways for children to learn French:
Games: French learning games are an excellent way to engage your child in the French language while having fun at the same time. If a child associates French with fun, then he or she will learn the language much more quickly! Your child can play French learning games on the computer or French learning board games. You can purchase games like French bingo and French learning card games allow you to play familiar games (such as Go Fish, Gin Rummy, etc), but with a French context.
Songs: French songs are an excellent way to get kids excited about French. With catchy tunes and simple lyrics, children will benefit from listening to songs that are written especially for children. They will also benefit from listening to songs by contemporary French pop singers. These days, it is easy to sample French songs by listening to them on sites like YouTube before purchasing the CDs or mp3s. Listening to French music is an ideal way to absorb the sound of the French language in a fun and relaxed way. You can even have it on in the background while your child is coloring or playing, to help them get used to the sounds of French words.
Click here for Part 2 of this article, featuring more tips about Learning French For Kids!